Love in Chaos
by daisuke99
Summary: A young journalist infiltrates the Takahashi hospital to uncover a series of mysterious deaths. What happens when Ryosuke begins to fall for her and then finds out she hates men? PS. I suck at writing races, so this will be love story focused :D gomen!
1. Who they are

Disclaimer: I do not own Initial D or Project D stuff… wow I'm bad at writing disclaimers. I DO own Yasime and Yamane-taichou though.

This is my first fanfic!!! Please do review and let me know what you think, it'll pick up quickly I promise!

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Softy, the wind blew outside her window. The full moon provided light in the blinding darkness. Wide awake, Yasmine got out of bed, found her robe, and sat near the window sill, taking in the beauty that surrounded her small cottage house in Japan. At twenty-three years old, she had strikingly beautiful features – slim figure, almond eyes, a straight nose, and full lips; the features of the exotic Indian woman she was. Volumes of life and experiences were etched into her body. Not all of them were pleasant, but none of which she'd ever return. For these memories made her who she was, they made her strong.

It was almost 5am when she decided that a good nights sleep would not come regardless of how long she waited. So she quickly rose, showered, dressed, and decided to head to her to work. It was only around four years ago that working seemed to be a luxury that she would never have the privilege of. It was only recently that she had begun to come out of a deep depression that had haunted her for years. Finally on her feet, she began to work as a freelance writer. Her work was flawless and in only year, she was able to land a position working for a prestigious magazine. Her articles had a flare for justice and social order, bringing awareness of issues that were underrepresented by current media.

She made it work by about 7 o'clock. Locking up her midnight blue FD35, she ascended the stairs and found her boss in his office. "Morning. Got anything for me?"

"Ah! Yasmine! Haven't seen you around the office lately. Been chasing some lead have you?" Yamane-taichou looked curiously at her through his bifocal glasses. He reminded her of an old wise man she'd met when she was younger in India. Although frail looking Yamane-taichou was perhaps the most renounced journalist in Japan today. It was her honor to work with him.

"Yes I have. The details are here. There are still a few holes to fill so I need clearance. I wanted to talk to you about this new story and see if you can cover me. I'm thinking of going undercover."

"I don't know… You've been going under cover a lot lately. What are you looking at?"

"It's has to do with the Takahashi hospitals. When I was ill with a fever a few weeks ago I went to the hospital for a check up. Next to my bed was a small child who'd come in with blindness. I was only there for a few days but right before leaving she begged me not to go. She said she didn't want to go to the 'bad place'. I thought she was half asleep and dismissed it as a dream but when I went to visit her the nurses said she'd passed away. Other than her blindness, she seemed perfectly healthy. According to the doctors in charge, she's caught something contagious and was quarantined. The family was unable to see her and she was buried by the hospital. I looked into it and it seems that there have been similar cases scattered throughout the years. No one's been able to pick up on it because they only happen about one a month. It's been happening for over a year and there's no real distinct pattern either. If the child hadn't said anything to me, I might have just dismissed this altogether but I want to check it out regardless."

"I don't know, it kind of sounds like a wild goose chase to me. And we're talking about the Takahashi's here. You're dealing with a family that is built on honor and trust. When I was a writer I was quite persistent with them but they're clean as a whistle."

"I'm not saying the Takahashi's are directly involved, it could just be happening right under their noses. In any case, she asked me not to leave; I should have trusted my instincts then. Because I didn't, she might have paid the ultimate price. I have to make sure nothing's going on. Because if there is, there might still be more innocent victims at stake here."

Yasmine's sense of justice was imperturbable.

"So what's the plan?"

"I have two. I could be the lucky patient. I've analyzed what they look for in their candidates. Only drawback is it's going to be hard to feign a sickness and I'm bound to get caught somewhere along the line. Plus I'm not sure I'll get selected, and then there's no way for me to get around restricted access areas. So the alternative is to go undercover as a nurse. Pick up what I can and try and solve the mystery."

"And you can't just hand this to the police?"

"We're in journalism. This is going to be the scoop of the century." Of course Yasmine didn't really care about the scoop. It's just that when she'd gone to a few detectives, they'd completely disregarded her. She realized how much of a long shot this was, but she had to try anyway. "By the way… I think we should go with plan B. I already forged some documents and got the job. I start tomorrow."

"Well, since I'm sure I can't stop you. Just be careful. You're to keep your cell phone all at all times and send in a written report of your activities at the end of each day," said Yamane-taichou. Although he sounded nonchalant about the whole affair it was quite evident he did worry quite a bit. His team consisted of the best of the best and so he understood their professionalism. However, after spending hours upon hours working with them in their small office, he'd gotten quite attached to them.

Finishing the details of the nursing position and going over some of the Emergency First Response training she's just finished to prepare for this role, she left work briskly and went home to have a good night's rest before she began digging for information.

While Yasmine attempted to get some rest, the roads of Mount Akagi burst into life. Wild cheering and the roar of engines carried through the otherwise silent night. The gallery was fuller than usual tonight, mainly in anticipation of Akagi's White Comet. The Takahashi's reputation preceded them. Although seeing the younger of the two brothers, Keisuke Takahashi, tackle the downhill was an exciting sight; it was rarer to see the white FC that Ryosuke Takahashi drove come down full throttle. Between his post graduate studies, working full time as an ER doctor, overseeing Project D in it's finishing stages, the man simply had no time to enjoy a cruise down Akagi's mountain pass.

Drifting through the mountain pass going at a speed most people would only experience on a roller coaster, it was a wonder his wheels were still on the ground. Parking at the top of the mountain, besides Keisuke's FD, he walked towards the young men. His charismatic demeanor immediately drew attention as the focus of attention shifted to him. Like moths to a flame, the guys surrounded him and waited for him to speak. "Fumihiro-san, can you put together the reports I asked you to? I want to review a few things with you once I go through them. Takumi, I want you to go at 80% using what I taught you. And keisuke, you're going to keep going with the braking technique until you perfect it."

"Aniki, our race at Hidaka next week, is that what this technique is for?" Keisuke asked.

"Yes, amongst other things. You may not need it for next week's race, but it will teach you something essential you have to utilize. I'm going to ask you to think about it and understand for yourself," was Ryosuke's ambiguous reply.

"I see. Alright I'll work on it!" Keisuke left sounding as enthusiastic as ever. He'd idolized his Aniki for so many years now, and knew that this technique was harder than it seemed. Moreover, he knew Ryosuke had an ulterior motive to his actions.

The group split up and the roar of engines burst to life and the cars took to streets once more. Ryosuke, continuing with his analysis, took his FC for a spin decided to follow the progress of his two protégés first hand. There was an undefeated excitement in the air as Ryosuke flew down the mountain keeping a close watch on his brother and Fujiwara. He couldn't help but enjoy himself as he saw the fast approaching guardrails, only to brake and steer at right moments to avoid a collision. It was a sense of liberation. One he rarely enjoyed anymore after prematurely retiring.

Going into the hospital business was not what he had intended to do, but being the eldest son, the expectation of him taking over was always there. Already he was being eased into the role of management and had started overseeing new employees and certain departments, such as internal medicine and gastroenterology. As he drove down Akagi, his mind working in fifty different dimensions, he thought about the grueling task of training the new nurse coming in. Training was his least favorite task, and although he usually assigned another senior nurse to do it, her name wasn't Japanese so he wanted to assess her himself and see if she was able to overcome the language barrier. If she could, she'd be a great asset to the team. Her credentials were quite extraordinary. In any case, he'd just have to wait until tomorrow to see.

Finishing up with Project D, he cleared out and headed home. Although only a few hours, he was determined to take a nap before preparing for the day at hand.


	2. Medical Mishap

Hey guys….!!!! Thanks sooo much for reading my story, I hope you will review!!! It's been kinda crazy for me, but I promise I'll update more often from now on. Sorry if it's been a bit slow, I've just been trying to develop the characters without rushing them!

ENJOY URSELVES!!! I hope u like it :D

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Arriving at the Takahashi hospital an hour and a half early, Yasmine decided to give herself a private tour before she officially met Ryosuke-sensei and started her training. Walking into emergency she walked past the reception and into the back. Dressed as a nurse in her scrubs, it was nearly impossible to tell her apart from the other employees. As she kept walking she heard snippets of conversation. Nothing that seemed too important but only stats of the different patients admitted. Making sure she wasn't noticed she slipped into the records office. It was furnished with old cabinet drawers, scanners, and computers. Torn between exploring and heading back, her curiosity won out. She desperately wanted to find the child's file. She didn't know her name, but a photo ID was bound to be attached. A few minutes worth of work later she made it into the cabinet, only to meet with disappointment. She didn't see how she could get through breaking into all of these drawers so deciding her time was better spent going through the training process and then acquiring a key, she stood quickly to leave. The floor boards creaked as she walked across the room and into the hall leaving as inconspicuously as she had entered.

Then there he was. In all his glory, the famed Takahashi Ryosuke, sitting at a chair in the ER lobby, looking tired with his head in his hands. She decided to give him a few moments before making herself known. It seemed that was unnecessary however, as he promptly looked up noticing the time, put on an expression of one who had endless energy and stamina. If she hadn't seen his look of exhaustion, she would have bought into his perfect façade. Despite herself, Yasmine was impressed by his striking features. His broad shoulders, well built body, the long nose, and silk hair, were very attractive to her. However, she knew from the moment she laid eyes on him that she would hate him. She knew it was irrational, for she did not even know the man. But it was something about him that kept her on edge and feeling defensive. Regardless she decided it was time to get the ball rolling and introduced herself.

"Hi, I'm Yasmine, the new nurse. Pleased to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too. My name is Ryosuke, and I'll be training you for today. You'll officially start today and learn little by little so you can integrate yourself into the system. So first thing is first, we're going to over some basic hospital policies and make sure you go through the guidebook as it outlines basic administrative and health protocols within this hospital." Ryosuke explained patiently,

"Ryosuke-sensei, where exactly am I going to be placed?"

"Well, since you're a new graduate, we'll need to assess your abilities. So you'll be working with me, and I will be observing you. Of course, it will be a collaborative effort. You will be evaluated based on skill, keeping up positive atmosphere, and your tact dealing with patients. Alright, so shall we begin?"

"Fine thank you. Please take care of me from now on." Yasmine smiled. _Great! He's going to be keeping an eye on me, _she thought. Didn't matter. Worst-case scenario, she'd just hit the records office after hours. She did have access to the keys now officially, she could just take her time and search through each file until she got to the one she needed.

Ryosuke introduced her to some of the other doctors who would be on call in the department. There was an ER surgeon named Murikawa-sensei. He seemed like a rather nice guy, fun loving and thoughtful. Of course, those are the types you really needed to watch out for, though she couldn't jump to any conclusions. She also met Kitagawa-sensei, a kind looking, motherly looking doctor. She seemed to be in great shape. Had a little too much make up on, but look rather decent and very capable of her work. Finally there was Midou-sensei. He was a burly man who had shifty eyes and a rather large chin. He looked like an adventurous fun loving guy despite the shifty eyes. Almost like a father figure. After the introductions were over, Ryosuke called me over to assist him in doing a few tests. They both entered into a room and as the patient described her illness, Yasmine typed it out on the computer. This didn't seem so bad. She was more concerned with being caught than with recording the patient's information correctly. She wanted to try and avoid the whole needles, and blood work stuff, though she had researched how to take down blood pressures, heat rates, and listen to the lungs, and heart, etc rather standard procedures.

More than anything, she was impressed by Ryosuke's vast knowledge of information and the way he could critically analyze patients. He seemed to know their illness by studying them even before they spoke to him. Yasmine was lucky this was his clinical day because if it had been Ryosuke's turn in ER she would have been found out for sure.

"Alright, Yasmine, I need you to order these tests for me, could you please take his vitals for me before you leave?" Ryosuke requested. "I'll also need a blood test taken please,"

_Just great. The one thing I wanted to avoid today at ALL costs. How the hell am I supposed to pull this off. _Taking the patients vitals, she filed her information first. Easy enough. Now came the hard part. The blood test. Put the needle in a vein. That should be easy enough right? Yeah. She'd had a ton done. Though none of the times would she really wish to remember the circumstances they were taken in. Tie up the upper arm, clean the area with antiseptic. Not too bad. Untie the band, and then poke the needle through.

"OUCH!" Came the pained voice of the patient.

_Uhoh! I think I missed the goddamn vein. _"I'm sorry, just a second, please relax, your moving your muscles a lot because you're tense and I just missed the vein."

"WHAT do you mean you missed? You're a nurse aren't you? PULL IT OUT PULL IT OUT YOU'RE HURTING ME!!!!" Wailed the patient.

At this point Yasmine though everything was going to be over.


	3. Home sweet home

Alright, another chapter!!!!! Thanks for making it this far!!! I hope you'll continue to keep reading! Please please please review!!

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The patient was yelling like a crazy woman, and she didn't see a way to fix this. And to make matters worse there came Ryosuke walking towards her with an air of authority fit for a king. His face betrayed no emotion. _Crap, crap, crap, I just can't get caught NOW! _Yasmine thought desperately. Even worse, the patient she was dealing with decided to, at that moment pass out, her eyes rolling upside and a soft sigh escaping her lips.

"Ryosuke-sensei, she-"

"It's okay, Yasmine-san, you can just take a seat now, I'll be with you shortly." He expertly took the needle out, bandaged the throbbing mess of a wound. When the patient was awake, he pulled blood from her other hand effortlessly.

_Unbelieveable. I should have at least looked up a youtube video of this or something, how could I slip?! Dammit! _He walked towards her and took a seat beside her. "Look, I'm really sorry, she was so tense I missed, and then I didn't know what to do from there." At this point, honesty was the best policy. Not like it could get any worse.

"Yasmine-san, do you take this job seriously? It was just a blood test so I can look it over. But the whole day, you've looked almost lost, like you're figuring things out as you go along. You being a nurse is extremely important to this hospital. We need good health care providers and nothing I've seen today leads me to believe you actually enjoy doing your job. So the question is what is it you are doing here?"

Yasmine automatically hated his condescending tone and his discerning gaze only made it worse. Though he'd hit the nail with his accusation, so much so she couldn't even argue, it didn't mean he had to accuse her of not liking her job. She could've just had first day anxiety! Though that probably made it worse. Anyhow, it was not her problem to deal with him.

Ryosuke watched her as her eyes flashed with anger. He'd been startled by her beautiful confidence initially, but it was clear she didn't want to be here. So then what was she doing here? She clearly hadn't even been able to take out blood from a patient, something so basic.

"Ryosuke-sensei, I'll need to ask you to overlook this incident. I was just a little nervous with this being my first day. Honestly, you're the first to hire me. New graduates are not always welcome. I am very grateful to have this position, and I hope you can guide me in the future." At least it was half true. She _did_ want to be here. Just not as a nurse. She hoped her tone was convincing and polite enough.

He studied her face for a while. He was sure there was more than what it seemed on the surface. It was almost curious how he couldn't really make out her expression. She was incredibly composed for someone who was in danger of losing her job. "Alright but tomorrow, we're doing surgery so I'll need you to be on your best for that."

"You have my word sensei" she replied rather cheerfully.

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Packing up his stuff and changing quickly, Ryosuke headed to his the elevators to get to Project D. His day with this trainee nurse had not been great. Other than her striking beauty, she had not left much of an impression, and Ryosuke Takahashi was not one to be swayed by looks.

And there she was leaning by the garage door chatting away with Midou-sensei. Her slender figure leaned on the frame of the door, in a pose that was slightly seductive. _What the hell is she doing_, thought Ryosuke, slightly disgusted. So far his impression of her was not improving. She was extremely inexperienced as a nurse and as far as he could see, more interested in flirting than her position. He pulled up beside the two, rolled down his window and asked, "Can I give you a ride home, Yasmine-san?"

She looked positively as shocked as Ryosuke felt asking the question. "Oh, thank you for your kind offer, but I'm just going to take the bus," she replied.

"The buses have stopped running, it's quite late you know," though he did not approve of the woman, he'd seen the way Midou had looked at her and knew he wouldn't waste this opportunity. At the very least, he was doing his civil duty.

"I can take her home, Ryosuke-sensei!" Piped in Midou.

"You have an early shift tomorrow remember?" Ryosuke answered. "Now, Yasmine-san, please get in, it's not safe for a woman such as yourself to be wandering the streets at night."

_Woman such as myself…_mused Yasmine. Well, he might be a little high and mighty, but at least he was a gentleman. She'd gotten as much out of Midou as she could today, discovering that the child's name was Midori. He was unsure of the details but apparently Kitagawa-sensei was her doctor. Deciding, it might be best to speak to Ryosuke and see where he fits, in case tomorrow was her last day here, she thanked Midou-sensei for his pleasant company, and hopped into the front street of Ryosuke's car. She told him her address as they drove off.

"Thank you, sensei, for dropping me off, I didn't realize the busses had stopped. I'm not what I would have done if you hadn't come along," she said as sincerely as she could.

"Not at all. Do you live by yourself?"

"Yes I do." Her expression darkened. She could see where this was leading and she didn't want to get into it.

"Are your parents here?" Ryosuke asked, only trying to make small talk.

"No they aren't," she replied simply. "Enough about me, what about you? Taking over the hospital in a few years, Project D, medicine, I'm sure you have your work cut out for you."

"It's very… rewarding." She couldn't help but notice the monotony in his voice. "So how long have you been running your department, you're quite good at it!"

"Well, it's been over a year now, but I still have a way to go."

"Is that so… Well, you're lucky to have such a capable staff. I mean, at least Midou-sensei seems to be very reliable. He's funny, and all the kids must love him." Yasmine asked in the most sugary voice she could produce.

"Well, yes, they are very reliable." She couldn't help but notice some strain in his voice. Despite all that, it didn't seem like he'd let up. It didn't seem like he'd be one to gossip. "So what brought you to Japan?"

The question didn't surprise her. She'd been anticipating it. After all, she was a foreigner. Even so, the horrid memories flooded back to her. She stiffened in her seat feeling the familiar feeling of absolute hatred creeping into her body. "None of your business," she managed to croak out after a moment.

"Sorry it was impolite of me to intrude into your personal life." His words were icy, though he sounded perfectly cool on the outside. He'd only meant to make small talk and she'd completely blown him off.

"I'm sorry, maybe it would be best if you just let me off here, I can walk the rest of the way home," she said. Ryosuke was much too perceptive. If she wanted to keep up the masquerade, she'd have to keep and eye out for him, and losing control like that did not help. She removed her seat belt and waited for him to pull over.

"Look I'm sorry, if I made you feel uncomfortable," sighed Ryosuke. He was beginning to feel bad about being so intrusive. Maybe she just didn't want to talk. "You're house is still a while away, I'll drop the whole way."

She though it over for a moment, and considering she didn't really have many other options, remained silent throughout the whole ride only speaking to thank Ryosuke for the ride when he'd reached her home.


	4. Black Crimson

Hey guys!! Back with another chapter!! I hope you all still like it. Thanks for reading and please leave reviews, I could really use the feedback. Feel free to suggest things I can incorporate.

As usual, I do not own Initial D or any of the characters, just Yasmine and the doctors.

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Knowing sleep would elude her, Yasmine changed her outfit quickly and decided to take her car out for a spin. She was going to pay a visit to Kitagawa-sensei and perhaps find out what exactly was going on. No one at that hospital had been what they seemed. After her narrow escape with the Takahashi boy, she'd spent her afternoon and evening speaking with the rest of the staff in the department. She had found that Murikawa-sensei was the most normal of the three physicians. He was careful with his word, seemed wise beyond his years, and donned a constant smile. However, it was only later that she'd found that underneath the calm veneer and graceful movement, he was quite severely depressed. Apparently, he'd lost a patient who needed a heart transplant. As it turned out, the patient could find a donor in time and so he ended up dying a painful and needless death. The source of this information? Midou-sensei. He seemed to talk with the right motivation of course. A little touch on the arm, flicking of hair, and some slight interest was all it took to get him talking. You'd think he was almost drunk. Drunk with ecstasy, probably thinking up wild fantasies that would never come true. Boys were just so easy.

Midou-senei seemed to be quite a fun loving person, and other than his odd obsession with womanizing, seemed to be perfectly normal. It was a good thing he talked a lot because otherwise she wouldn't have nearly as much information as she did. Kitagawa-senei was Midori's doctor at the time. It was ironic because she hates children ever since her boy married off to some woman, she didn't approve off. In any case, she was extremely harsh with the child and it was Ryosuke who intervened and threatened to relocate her if she could not deal with her patient professionally. To this day, no one is quite sure if she's a misogynist or hates only children. Whatever the case, she was the place to start.

Tracking down Kitagawa-sensei had not been an easy task. As the drove through Mount Akagi, Yasmine lost track of how fast she was going. She only vaguely remembered passing a yellow car that resembled an FD, only because it too was traveling quite fast. Though she could never really be sure, since she wasn't the expert on cars. She flew through another corner finally hitting the main road and could have almost sworn she saw Ryosuke. _Urgh, get out of my head, you PEST! _It wasn't enough she had to see him at he fake job, but did he insist on intruding on her peace as well.

Reaching Kitagawa sensei's block she parked her car near some trees, pulled down her black hat over her almost copper hair. Her black pants and turtleneck camouflaged her well, only the outline of her slender body just barely visible. Looking around she saw four cameras. Two on either side of the driveway near the front, and two attached to the house near the roof. The only blind spot was if she's landed from the top. _The top….._ Yasmine mused pensively. She ran to the neighbor's house and climbed under the needles of the massive pine tree. The needles gave her cover, and made it easy for her to peek out through a window without being discovered. She climbed up and saw into the living room. Finding no one there, she proceeded to the next tree and climbed up once more. After a few more attempts, she managed to locate Kitagawa in a satin slip lounging in her bedroom. Sitting directly across from her were the two other doctors Murikawa and Midou. The three sat for a long time sipping tea. Finally, Midou spoke. It was a shame she couldn't make out anything. Lip reading was out of the question, Yasmine was incapable of such a skill, though now she was considering it a useful tool.

Most suddenly, with the ferocity of a beast, Kitagawa lunged across her room grabbed a file and smashed it into the window. Yasmine shrunk back for fear of being discovered and as she peered through the pine needles, she saw scattered picture of children and some women. One in particular stood out. He was a small child with almost bleach blonde hair that looked so soft and fragile, you could hardly touch it. His deep blue eyes and translucent skin shone out and overpowered the other photos. Of course she didn't miss the red markings on the photo indicating his blood work information. Looking Inching a little closer, Yasmine saw each photo marked with information. She decided that was enough and she'd just have to do some more research later. As she was about the head back down from her rather uncomfortable perch, she saw a small card on the side of the window that hadn't fallen down. The only legible words were Black Crimson. Not spending too much time to dwell on the specifics, she hit the road at a quick run made it to her car and left without a sound.

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It was nearly 4 in the morning and Ryosuke stood leaning forward on the guardrail in Akagi. This day had been quite the trial for him. First there was the nurse, then there was her flirting with Midou, and finally, to top of his crazy day someone had just beat his brother on the downhill on his home turf! How was that even possible! Keisuke was absolutely devastated. He was worried his brother would have some sort of breakdown and relapse into his old ways. He didn't want that to be his life and the one place Keisuke had always felt secure was this mountain. And now some random driver he'd never seen on the pass managed to pass him and form the sounds of it effortlessly. He was sure the driver was not going to be hidden for long. Racers with that much caliber always surface. The question was when and how. Who was the nutcase behind the wheel? How had he managed to pass Keisuke so quickly.

Even though he was worried, Ryosuke knew this would be an educational experience for Keisuke. The mountain pass was unpredictable and that's what made it exciting. If he knew Keisuke, he'd get out of this depression and come back with a vengence. It would be great for Project D and his brother would excel. Anyhow, that was problem for another day. He still needed to get home, shower, and prepare for tomorrow.


	5. Revelation

HEY GUYS!!! Okay, so I went on vacation, and got absolutely nothing sone, so here is the latest installment. THANK you everyone who reviewed, it really means a lot to me to get your feedback. So things are finally picking up and I hope you enjoy it :D

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The bright sunshine danced in Yasmine's already copper hair making it sparkle and glitter as it hung down to her waist. As she got out of her car, and walked towards the hospital, she reviewed all the surgical instruments she could remember. The morning would be great as Ryosuke would only be prepping for surgery and she'd be put on administrative duties. Heading to the records office, now equipped with a key she walked across the creaky floor, her heels clickity clacking on the hardwood. She opened the cabinets and went through every file she could find searching for the girl Midori's profile. She was also looking for the silver haired boy's profile as well. Unfortunately she couldn't locate either of them. She got up and started pacing the office, clearing her head and going over everything she'd learned.

Not noticing the picture lying down, she slipped hard and went tumbling to the floor with a thud. _OW, God! Stupid HEELS!_ She sat down on the floor trying to nurse her ankle when she saw some of the hardwood poking out. It seemed like a loose floorboard. She grabbed a ruler and pried it open with considerable effort. Not stopping at the one, she wrenched open all the surround floorboards and there they were. Files upon files upon files. Someone had cleared away all the space underneath these floorboards and was using them to store some records of things. Of what exactly, she wasn't too sure yet. There was almost a library full of them and so she opened them slowly one by one. The most recent files were at the top and the older ones at the bottom. She searched around for the boy's and Midori's profile and there they were. Lying on a pile of recent folders. She started with Midori's file and learned that she'd been in an accident. Her occipital lobe had been damaged but otherwise she was completely fine. Her entire medical history showed no abnormalities and she was perfectly healthy excluding her eyesight. Moreover, her cause of death was exposure to a supposedly contagious virus. She was cremated and the ashes given to her parents. It was curious however that such a significant detail was not present in this file. In fact, the cause of death for all the files was non-existent.

She opened another file and found the boy's picture she'd seen inside. His name was Yamaguchi Hikaru. Not surprising he was a patient in this hospital. He'd recently lost his ability to speak due to some trauma and was being treated at this hospital up in the psychiatric ward. She figured she'd better pay him a visit and check up on him. So far, all the doctors could be involved or none of them were involved, or only a few. Of course the real question was, what were they involved with. She'd tried to google the name Black Crimson, but of course nothing had come up. _Wouldn't be fun if it were too easy huh?_ She put everything away photocopied the boy's profile and placed the file back exactly the way she had found it.

A few hours later after her shift was done, she walked out into the elevator. She was on her way up when the door opened on the fifth floor and in walked Ryosuke.

"What floor can I get you?" She asked.

"I was just headed to café for lunch… and you're headed to the psych department," he observed noting the floor. "Is there a reason? I didn't think you had any personal acquaintances in this hospital. You should have mentioned it before starting. We try and keep an eye for personal relationships so they do not interfere with professionalism."

"Oh no, it's not an acquaintance." She paused for a moment and though it was risky, she decided maybe being forward was a good strategy. She might be able to break his calm exterior. "I'm going to see a patient who has lost his speech due to some trauma. I randomly came across his case, and he reminds me of someone. I wanted to personally see him. His name is Yamaguchi Hikaru."

Ryosuke looked interested. He wondered why she'd want to check up on someone she didn't even know. He wanted to see for himself who he was. "I'm coming with you."

"Alright," she smiled to herself.

He was quite a site. She's never seen anyone, let alone a kid, look so surreal. He was facing the window as they walked in looking fairly lost. His light hair and thin pale skin gave him a feel of fragile beauty that sharply juxtaposed against her darker complexion. Ryosuke followed in and made no visible gesture or face. In fact, he didn't seem to recognize the boy at all. "Hikaru-kun," called Yasmine.

He turned to face them. Got up and in the most adorable way she'd ever seen, gave them a quick bow. She kneeled in front of him, and said "Hikaru-kun, I'm Yasmine. I work as a nurse here. This is Ryosuke-sensei."

"Hello," Ryosuke said rather awkwardly.

"Hikaru-kun, do you like it here, is everyone nice to you?" she inquired.

Ryosuke felt that to be an odd question but he didn't say anything. The boy slowly nodded shyly and sat on his bed.

"Ano, if it's okay with you, I'd like to be Hikaru-kun's friend. You see, I know this boy and he reminds me exactly of you. He doesn't live with me anymore but I'd say he'd be around your age by now. That's why when I saw your file Hikaru-kun, I thought I have to become your friend!" The words sounded creepy even to her, but if she ever wanted to keep an eye out for him, she'd have to gain his trust.

Ryosuke looked at her questioningly, a look that was missed by Yasmine. "Perhaps we should go Yasmine-san, it's not advisable to get attached to any patients."

"It's okay, I'm not attached, but the kid doesn't have any parents or siblings, or family. He's lost without anyone there for him. He can't even speak to tell us where he's from and no missing person's reports turned up when they searched for him." No one to worry over his disappearance, he'd make the ideal target. She was determined to keep an eye out for him. She knew he was going to be next in this string of disappearances.

Ryosuke was rather shocked by her behavior. He hadn't pegged her for the humanitarian type. He hadn't seen such a sincere expression before and in that moment she looked so fierce, determined, and full of energy. And in the same moment, she looked innocent and fragile. Her expression was pained when she realized no one would care for him. Somewhere, though he wouldn't admit it today, her pain, jolted his heart, though his composure would never reveal that. However, whatever the case, he didn't want her spending too much time with him. Becoming attached to a patient was never a good thing. "I'm sorry, Yasmine-san, it's time we headed back," he said with a poker face.

Putting on her usual face of defiance, she turned and promised the child she'd come up every chance she could. Keeping with her word, the next few weeks Yasmine spent almost all of her spare time with the child and even stayed overnight to care for him. He was quite a smart kid. She'd decided to tutor him so he wouldn't fall behind in school when he returned and he always managed to grasp concepts very quickly.

Unbeknownst to her, Ryosuke always kept a close watch on her. Sometimes more out of admiration than anything else. Over the past few weeks, she'd demonstrated satisfactory ability as a nurse. Nothing he would have kept around if his sixth sense hadn't told him otherwise. He found her mildly interesting but that was all. She could show so many different emotions but when it came to him, there was only once. Distaste. For some reason, he felt she did not like him very much. He had to admit, since she came, he'd witnessed a dramatic change in the boy's eyes. He was happier and smiled more often. He waited everyday by the door for her to come with some new game. In turn she brought him chocolates everyday. In any case, he could stare at them all day long, and so he left them alone and proceeded with his work. Later tonight was going to be an intense Project D training session.

After the day's work and exhaustion had set in, Yasmine decided to head home and review what she had learned from the boy and review the files she'd seen. She headed to the elevators and noticing she'd forgotten her jacket in the psych department, headed back up again. Peaking in Hikaru's room to make sure he wasn't asleep, she headed into his room only to find it empty. He wasn't scheduled for any tests or therapy sessions. He should have been in his room. Where had he gone? She could feel her heart sink and the internal turmoil of unease settle in to her stomach.

Panicking, she glanced outside, walked around the floor to make sure she hadn't missed him and couldn't find him anywhere. Heading back to her room, she saw Midou exiting. "Midou-sensei! Wait!" She called from down the hall.

"Oh! Yasmine-san! What are you doing here?" He asked turning around.

"Ano, do you know where Hikaru-kun went? I was just here about 10 minutes ago he should be sleeping in his room and he's not. By the way, why are you here? This isn't your department is it?"

"Hm, I'm covering a friend of mine on her shift, I just gave him his pills for the night. But don't worry Ryosuke-kun has him." He answered peacefully.

Not waiting to hear from him next, she asked "Sensei, where is he? Ryosuke-san now, I mean?" she asked trying to keep her voice calm and collected.

"Well, I think he said he wanted to take the kid out for a drive. I mean those therapy sessions haven't been doing too great, so I thought why not? Don't worry, if Ryosuke's got him there's nothing to be worried about."

She didn't have enough information to doubt Midou-sensei's word. Furthermore, she'd seen him exiting the room alone so there was no way he could've gotten to Hikaru-kun. Though she was worried about Ryosuke being with Hikaru alone, she was more worried about the fact that he was out of her sight. _Think Yasmine, THINK! If I were going to take someone out for a drive, where would I take them? What's the closest place here worth going to? _Then it hit her, she could find him at Mount Akagi. Since she didn't have any more leads and not enough to pin Midou, she hit the road and drove to the mountain. She was there in 15 minutes. Driving across to the parking, she spotted his cars amongst a few others lined up. He was in a small group of men. One of them was his brother (she'd seen them together on a magazine once), and a younger brown haired guy.

She screeched to a halt and vaguely heard his brother say "Aniki! That's the car that passed me the other day!"

"Yasm-" Before he could finish her name she sent an even punch flying his way landing it squarely on the jaw. Grabbing his shirt she pulled him close and through clench teeth interrogated. "Where is the kid, you filthy son of a -".

"Oye! Who do you think you are?!" Roared his brother. Frightening glaring down at her bearing down with his full height.

"Keisuke, stay out of this." Ryosuke calmly said. Being the larger of the two, and the calmer apparently, he took her small hands in his and eased himself out of her grip "Yasmine, I'm not sure I know what you're talking about."

Her emotions had gotten the better of her and Ryosuke watched confused as tears welled up in frustration. "It takes a real sick person to pretend they don't know what's going on. It's YOUR hospital, how could you not know!!!" she thundered, losing all control now. "He said he saw you leaving with him. That you had Hikaru-kun. Where the hell did you take him?"

"Yasmine, calm down." Ryosuke asked now genuinely disturbed. "Hikaru-kun; I didn't leave with him. Who saw him last?"

Then it hit her. Midou had lied to her. He'd probably taken Hikaru before and had come back to the room for some reason. He could lie and get away with it because Hikaru was not in the room. And there was no one there to disprove his word. She ran to her car, turned to Ryosuke, "Get in! We need to find Midou! I'll explain on the way."


	6. Contact

HEY GUYS!!! Thanks SO much for staying with the story. I JUST finished a new chapter. They take a while to write and plan, so bear with the slowness :S I hope you enjoy this. Honestly, thanks SO much for the encouragement, it really helps me to keep going. I wasn't sure how this fanfic would go because it's afterall, my very first. And all your comments really touch me :D Alright, so without further adieu…… ENJOY!!!!

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She drove furiously back to the hospital, in the meantime explaining what she knew to Ryosuke. She didn't have time to brief him about everything, and his involvement in this case was still ambiguous, so she gave him the clipnotes version. She's gone undercover to investigate a string of "deaths". She mentioned the name Black Crimson, and even the resourceful Ryosuke was not familiar with it. Midou, Kitagawa, and Murikawa, were no where to be found in the hospital, and their homes were quite empty. The three had taken off.

"Midou must have slipped. He must have seen you coming, lost his cool, and told you a lie that he knew you would uncover quickly. That man can't speak with tact unless it's scripted for him. They must've figured that once he'd been caught, he's squeal. I bet they took off, and sending you after me was a just a distraction." Ryosuke deduced.

"Yeah and I, like an idiot, fell for it!" She said, feeling quite angry with herself. "I don't know what I was thinking, I'd only been gone for 20 minutes, Hikaru-kun couldn't have gone far. Now he could be anywhere!"

"Look it's okay, you panicked. Anyone would have in your situation. We've just got to figure out a way to find him. I think Black Crimson is the place to start."

"I can't find them on the net or any of my other databases. I'm guessing they're black market."

"I wonder what they want with these kids anyway. I mean, if you wanted to kidnap people, there are easier ways." Ryosuke mused. "What are you thinking about?" He asked noticing Yasmine's face visibly darken.

"Nothing. Who knows what they're after. It could be a number of things." She said ambiguously. She pulled over to her right and got out of her car. Ryosuke got the sense she knew more than she was letting on.

"Where are we?" He asked. He hadn't missed the changing scenery or that she'd come to some sort of downtown ghetto. A place he'd never had to see, being from the prestigious family he was from. Where ever it was, it was pretty sketchy. "This your local hang out place?"

"Not even close," she replied smirking. "We're here to track a contact of mine. Here put this on, you're attracting too much attention. When we meet him, you keep you trap shut and play dumb. Turn around I'm going to change in the car."

He put on a hooded robe concealing his features. No one could tell he was Takahashi Ryosuke now. _I attract too much attention? _He hated to admit it, but he'd seen more men look at Yasmine with lust than he dared admit, sending a knot through the bottom of his stomach. _She_ was the one who attracted too much attention. And she did so without trying, for though the contours of her figure and features were often hidden under long sleeved shirts and baggy pants, her body was an enigma capable of enticing the most level headed man. This much was true.

She came out of her car, now dressed in an off shoulder dress that fell to her knees, and her hair put in a braid off to one shoulder, the nape of her neck exposed. "Well, how do I look?" she asked playfully. Yasmine hated dressing this way. She hated the feeling of being so exposed and naked. She could feel the cheap men in the alley raping her with their eyes, and all she wanted to do was put on something less revealing.

"You look… terrible". He hadn't meant to say that but, part of Ryosuke just wanted to take something and put it over her, hiding her from the rest of the world. She was stunning.

Yasmine smiled to herself. _Always the gentleman. You saw right through me._ That was what she hated the most about Ryosuke. Yasmine was anything but an open book. She worked hard to conceal her emotions, but somehow, Ryosuke always managed to read her. "Follow me. We're going into the red light district now. Stay close and don't get lost."

"Come here often?" He asked, not sure what to make of her anymore. Who the hell was she and why did she know the inner workings of these places.

They entered a club raging with music and drunk men and women making out publicly. Walking to the back, Yasmine went up to the private entrance and found her favorite bouncer. He was the easiest to work on. "Hey," she whispered in his ear, sending a shock through the bouncer's spine. Strangely Ryosuke also stirred, as if she'd whisper like that to him. "I'm here for Rei. You know how he doesn't like to wait. Let me in and I can make it worth your while," she cooed sweetly.

"Ahhhh Mika-chan… don't do this to me. The boss doesn't want to be disturbed. "He told me to keep you out. You ruin him."

"He won't have to know who let me in. Besides, once he sees me, he'll want to keep me."

"Alright but, I get a kiss this time!" And without warning he grabbed her small waist, and pulled her close. Before Ryosuke could react from the situation, Yasmine had kneed the bouncer in the groin, and there he lay, withering on the ground.

Ryosuke's composure went out the window. "WHAT do you think you were doing! That was the most appalling thing I've ever seen. He's SO much bigger than you, what if he was ready for your attack."

She looked at him quizzically for a second. After a moment, when her internal voice had succeeded in cooling her down, she said "How I chose to behave is none of your business. If you think it's so appalling, you could've suggested another way in. Besides, this is his regular schedule. I tease, he falls for it, and I knee him. He does it everytime. Boys are such pathetic slaves to their hormones." She said sounding bitter and irritated. This outlook surprised Ryosuke. He thought her to be rather sensible and didn't think she'd be so judgmental towards men. It was completely irrational. She led him to the corridor and through a large door. And there he was, her so called contact, surrounded by women who looked like models. "Looks like you never change do you?" she asked standing in the doorway.

"Ahhh, Mika." Ryosuke liked the man less and less. He was lean red head with a cigarette propped between his lips. He was not handsome, but perhaps charming was the right word. The women around him dispersed and he motioned Mika to take their place. Instinctively Ryosuke grabbed her shoulder.

She could feel her muscles tense up under his grip. "Genma-chan, why don't you find yourself a nice corner? I won't be long."

"Who's the third wheel?" Rei asked. "You know how jealous I can get. I only left you alone cause you ain't into men. But here I am, smelling the stink of a boy on you."

"He 'boy' is mute, baby. He's my bodyguard. Doesn't like to show his face much." She retorted freeing her self from his grip. She glided over to Rei, and perched herself beside him. "I need a favor."

"You wanna get something, you gatta give something. So what am I getting today?"

"Be patient you'll find out." She whispered, her face only inches from his. She didn't even have time feel repulsed. She knew that smell and that lust all too well and she was not about to slip. Straightening up, she said "I need to know about this group I've been hearing about. Black Crimson."

Rei stood up, loaded his computer and pulled out a file. "You came to the right place, doll face. They're black market all right. Low key actually, I only see activity from them every month or so. Group of doctors, few in every hospital, do organ transplants for people on the down low. Usually people who can't get them done in hospitals. You know the type."

Her poker face was nearly flawless. But she felt as sick as Ryosuke looked. Thank God for that hood or even his refined expression would have given them away. Then she had an idea. "Just as I thought," she said. She was just making this up as she went along.

_What the hell are you doing_! Thought Ryosuke desperately. He had a bad feeling about this.

"I need in. I've been diagnosed with a chronic heart condition. You don't need to know the details. But I need a transplant. Surely, you could arrange that."

Then something strange happened. Rei's expression became softer and kinder. "Listen Yasmine-"

"I told you not to use my real name here!"

He came up close, grabbed her and threw her onto the couch. Ryosuke, lunged from his spot, but decided to leave it to Yasmine after seeing her expression. If things got really bad, he could always step in.

Rei was now on top of her whispering softly so no one could hear. "Listen baby doll, you know I can't be honest 'bout you here. But I can't stop myself. It took me a hell of a lot to get you out from where you were. Normally I wouldn't do it, if it wasn't you. Now you saying to me that you wanna get back involved with this shit? I know you ain't got no heart problems. You just meddling."

"Listen Rei, I know you want to keep me safe, but I have to do this. They're killing innocent people for organs so they can sell them to slum lords, and drug peddlers. They're killing kids!"

"Ain't nothing wrong with that, so long as you ain't the unlucky one getting 86'd!"

"Rei, I swear, I won't squeal."

"That's not what I'm worried about!"

"PLEASE!"

He got off her. Straightened up and more loudly said, "I guess that takes care of the payment. You're pretty hot in heat. Downtown, 54h and Souzon St. I'll take care of the rest."

Ryosuke and Yasmine, both left inconspicuously as they'd come. It was time to get what they came for and end this.


	7. Gone

All right another chapter! ^_^. If you thought the last one was a cliffhanger, just wait til you read this one =). I'm really excited because this is going to set the stage for some cool stuff XD!!! I hope you all like it. There's a bit of Ryosuke-Yasmine interaction here and a bit of action. So I sincerely hope you guys like it!! Thank you for sticking the story out this long, and please do review and let me know what you think. I look forward to comments, they wake me up in the morning and add a bounce to my step :D

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"It's going to take us a day to get to your location. You should probably get some sleep. You've been up all night."

Changed and once again fully clothed, Yasmine got into the drivers seat. "I don't sleep." She turned on the ignition, and they flew towards their destination.

It was morning now, and Ryosuke had just finished calling his brother and reassuring him that everything was okay not to worry. He'd also spoken to his father and gave him a general idea of what was happening. He hadn't mentioned what they were up to or that Yasmine had a lead, for fear that it would mess with her plan. He wanted to get out of this predicament as quickly and quietly as possible. Then there was the fact that she was a journalist and was bound to do an expose. What did she care about how it affected the hospital? He'd have to find a way to quiet her later. Right now it was solving this that was most important.

The ride there was tense and awkward, neither of them breaking the silence. Ryosuke wasn't quite sure how to handle this woman. She annoyed him for reasons he could even comprehend. And for Ryosuke, that was a first. But she stirred up something in him. He couldn't analyze her or predict her actions in anyway possible. Sometimes he'd catch glimpses of her personality but most of the time, she was monotonous. Not the way Takumi was, but more like she had some deep, dark secret that she didn't want to let out. Or to keep people from seeing who she really was. She was focused and passionate, even though she didn't always seem like it. But that was as far as he knew. Who she was, what she was doing here, where she came from? She'd chosen not to disclose that. He felt like such a stereotypical open book in front of her. The well-bred, intelligent, calm, collected type that takes over the family business due to obligation.

"Didn't anyone tell you it's rude to stare? You'll make me blush," Yasmine broke the silence. She'd felt Ryosuke look at her through his peripheral vision and it was making her feel more awkward than she already did.

"Sorry, I didn't realize, I was just thinking." He stammered, now embarrassed.

"Thinking about what exactly? I suppose a man such as yourself is always analyzing things. So what are you working out in that brain of yours now?"

"You." He figured honesty was going to get him further in this conversation than small talk would. "Journalists don't have contacts like Rei."

"What would you know about Rei?"

"Nothing. Why don't you tell me? I didn't miss how you tensed up when I only grabbed your shoulder, but you let him feel you up on that couch."

"Cute. Are you jealous?"

"Not quite. Just curious. Special relationship? Or does he just come by once in a while and does what he wants?" Ryosuke knew he was acting like a jerk. He didn't know where this was coming form, but he was obviously bitter about the skeaze feeling her up, when she'd clearly been repulsed by him only touching her shoulder.

"Don't talk about him that way. You don't know him at all. Not that I have to justify my actions to you, but just to set the record straight, the room we were in was bugged and the mirror was false." Choosing her words carefully, she continued. "Rei… he used to work for this gang. Long story short, he saved me and got in a lot of crap. He's under surveillance now. So the only way we could've discussed anything is if we got close enough to whisper. He won't leave the yakuza, but he's not all bad. He's never wronged me, at least. Anyway, I suggest you get those useless thoughts out of your head, before you give yourself a migraine."

"I'm sorry I didn't know." He wanted to know what had happened between them, but it was clear she wouldn't budge. "Well, then tell me this, you obviously don't seem to like me much. What'd I even do to you?"

She thought about this for a moment. He'd caught her off guard. "It's not that I dislike you. I just dislike your type." She said sighing. "You've got everything going for you. You have a future, a family, a brother who, from the looks of it, refuses to see you disrespected. I'm sure you've had your problems, and I know it's unfair of me, but somehow, people like you always take things for granted. I guess that's what sets me off." She hated this part of herself, along with a long list of other flaws. He didn't need to know her past, nor the fact that when he spoke to her, her walls broke down.

"That _**IS**_ unfair. Listen, let me drive for a while. I'll take care of your car. Don't worry. You should get some sleep, we won't be there until evening anyway."

"I can't sleep. What if they did something to Hikaru-kun?"

"They won't. They'll need a patient before they kill him. You can't store organs indefinitely, and the fresher the better."

"Alright." She pulled over, Ryosuke got in, and continued to drive. She hated to admit it, but his presence was comforting. She knew he wasn't a bad person, even if she couldn't quite trust him yet. And though she hadn't done this in a long time, she fell asleep in front of him. She'd finally fallen asleep in front of another man.

Unbeknownst to her, Ryosuke's attentions were more on her innocent face rather than the road. Of course, to the pro-racer, this wasn't really a problem.

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Waking up abruptly, Yasmine, realized she'd slept like a baby the whole way through. They stopped to eat and continued on their way, finally reaching the corner of 54th and Souzen.

"Alright, Rei, we're here, what now?" She asked on her cell phone.

"Listen, you're going into a warehouse, make sure Ryosuke Takahashi isn't with you. A monkey could recognize him, and you didn't give him enough cover last time."

"Just get to the point."

"Fine. Inside the warehouse, you'll come by Dr. Kuro Hei. He's a cardiologist. I couldn't set you up with Midou or Kitagawa, it would have blown your cover. The only way to do this is if you convince him you have an actual heart issue. You have Ryosuke to help, you should be fine. They'll take you to their underground lab where they work and from there you can find the kids who were taken. I suppose that's what you were trying to do in the first place right?"

"Thank you. I owe you another favor."

"Marry me and we'll call it even."

"Yes… Don't push your luck."

"Forget it, you don't owe me anything." With that Rei hung up and Yasmine was left to figure out a plausible condition in 20 mins.

"Okay… lets see," Ryosuke cut in. "You have a few options. You could say you were in an accident before and have hyper-angiogensis caused by hypoxia. It's plausible, and it would require the reconstruction of your cardiac muscles and vasculature."

"Okay, I can work with that. I can't see normal physicians because I'm not a citizen of this country. I could pretend to be a refugee."

"Great, I could pretend to be your husband and explain everything in detail."

"Or you could wait here and follow the car when it comes out?"

It was almost comical how dumbstruck he looked. "You're telling me you want to go by yourself?"

"Yes, that's the plan. I go in, they take me to their hospital for testing, I find Hikaru-kun, and bust out."

"No. Not happening. Either you take me with you, or we call the cops now."

"Are you sure you want that? If you call the cops, there'll be media coverage, and your hospital's reputation would suffer. Isn't that why you didn't call them in the first place? Yeah… Now that I think about it, I bet you were so chatty earlier to find a way to keep my mouth shut about this when it was all over." She accused. She was almost hurt. She hadn't thought that he'd been pumping her for blackmail information. Just another lesson of life. You can't trust anyone.

"Listen! That's not it." He didn't understand why she insisted on making him the bad guy and excluding him.

"Okay, let me spell this out for you. You are Takahashi Ryosuke. Anybody who's anybody in the medical field knows your face. You want me to take you? I might as well hold up a sign asking directions to be killed! Right now, you're only a liability. I'm guessing, when they take me to this hospital of theirs, they'll put me under so I don't know where I'm going. I'm going to need you to follow me in the car."

"I refuse, it's too dangerous. I'm calling the cops."

It didn't seem like she was going to get through to him. It wouldn't do any good now if they called the cops, he wouldn't talk so easily. It didn't seem like she had a choice, so she counted to three, and as fast as lightening punched him unconscious. Taking those martial arts classes had come in use after all! _Sorry. Actually, not that sorry. Come find me when you're awake._

Heading inside the warehouse, she followed a few signs and headed to the allocated room. Behind a desk sat Hei-sensei.

"Hello Hei-sensei."

"Well, seems we'll be doing a heart transplant today. Give me the details."

Yasmine spilled the details of the disease as much as she could remember. In a think accent she said, "Ne, sensei… I'm not too bright with the medical terminology, so I'm not sure exactly what I have. I just know I need a transplant and I can't get one because I'm a refugee. Money is not an obstacle. I will pay as much as I have to, to get the care I need. You understand what I'm saying don't you?"

He observed her for a few moments. She'd come alone, so it didn't seem like a threat. "Alright I will transport you to our hospital. You will be put under. Count to 10."

She put on a mask and by the time she'd counted down she was out. Her last thought was hoping that Ryosuke would wake up soon and find her.

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Meanwhile, Ryosuke awoke with a throbbing ache in his neck. The little… THING has knocked him out! For someone so tiny, she sure did hit hard. Then it hit him. She'd gone in by herself. She could be anywhere by now! _Dammit! Why does she have to be so obstinate!_

He gathered himself and treaded carefully towards the warehouse, undetected in case they were still there. He couldn't find her anywhere, and the car was nowhere to be seen. _How the hell does she expect me to find her now?!_

He sat inside the car. Looked around and noticed the GPS was missing. _Perfect! I'll just hack into the main satellite system and track her. _She hadn't left him clueless after all. He got out his laptop and after a few furious clicks and some rapid typing, managed to track her real time. She was about 3 hours away. Hopefully, he'd get there in time.

He drove as furiously as possible, breaking every speed limit there was, running reds, and out running traffic police. Finally, he reached the hospital. What he saw nearly made him crash into the fence. There it was. The hospital was burning up in flames, windows exploding, and Yasmine nowhere to be found.


	8. Inferno

Hey guys!! Here is the latest installment! Thank you for reading all this!! Stay tuned for some cool things. There series is nowhere near done (I feel the need to mention this, because it sounds like it'll be over soon at the end of this chapter). So stay tuned and please review!! It's nice to read through what everyone thinks. Constructive criticism is always welcome :D

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Her head felt groggy as she woke up to the blinding light. Starring at her were five doctors. None of whom she recognized except for Hei-sensei. They peered down at her as she sat up. Yasmine was dressed in a hospital gown and her lower back was throbbing with pain. She winced as she tried to get comfortable.

"Does it hurt?" asked one of the doctors.

"Yeah, what did you do exactly?"

"Lumbar puncture, to see if you carried any neurotoxins we should be aware of. We also ran a few other tests to get started and prep you for surgery."

_Crap._ She hadn't thought they were going to go so far while she was unconscious.

As the doctors surrounded her, she could tell she was in trouble. "Imagine our surprise when we found your heart was completely normal and healthy."

"It's a miracle. I'm cured." Yasmine piped in sarcastically.

"If only miracles came across so easily."

"Now the question is what should we do with you now."

"You could let me go. I won't tell anyone, I swear." The sarcasm flowed out of her. It was probably not the best strategy, but she couldn't think of anything else.

"I think that's a risk we can't afford to take. But don't worry, we have a plan for you. Just imagine, you'll be part of creating the greater good. You heart can go to our client in Hong Kong, kidneys to the American, and your liver to a lady in Bankok. I'm sure we can find uses for your other organs as well. See how many lives you're saving?" Said the 4th doctor.

"Whatever you have to tell yourselves to sleep at night, huh?" She was beginning to panic now. She knew sudden movements weren't going to help. Though she was trained in many martial arts, with her back slowing her down the way it hurt, it would be impossible for her to take on all five of these doctors. She'd have to think of another way and take her first opportunity to escape.

Her thoughts didn't go much further because in a fraction of a second she found herself reeling in a corner of the room, having been thrown by some force she had not seen earlier. Paralyzed by pain, she gasped to catch her breath and looked up only to see a massive man standing over her. He must have concealed himself in the shadows behind her. She felt all her energy leave her as he effortlessly picked her up and threw her on the stretcher and strapped her in.

"NO! No! Stop, you can't!" Yasmine's hope of escape kept dropping further and further down the meter. Now not only was she paralyzed by the fear and pain, but also by the intense memories of her younger years as the came flooding back. She could almost feel the metal shackles that had once bound her and the eerie quiet of the cellar. "DON'T DO THIS!!!! YOU WON'T GET AWAY WITH THIS!" she screamed, tears now streaming down her face.

"Famous last words." Spoke one of the five doctors.

"Let me go! LET ME GO!"

"Save your breath no one can hear you."

After successfully strapping her in, all five and the larger man left the room to prep themselves to harvest Yasmine's organs.

Breathing heavily, she forced her mind to focus on a spot on the wall to keep from having a breakdown. No matter how tough she was, being imprisoned was her worst fear come to life. She struggled against the leather belts that held her only to realize that she wasn't going anywhere.

Breathing evenly now, she continued to struggle and realized the actual stretcher was fairly weak. Beside her were some surgical instruments. She rocked the stretcher side to side, hoping to tip herself towards the instruments. Finally, with tremendous effort, she managed to fall to the side, and came crashing down right onto the scalpel, her shoulder meeting with the hard cement. She hadn't taken the fall into account.

Her adrenaline was kicking in so much that she didn't even realize the scalpel had pierced the side of her thigh and that blood was slowly tricking down. Only when she stopped to look did she realize she'd been cut and noticed the pain it was causing her. She reached with her hand to try and grab hold of the scalpel, only to lightly brush it. With a thrust downward, she managed to grab hold and pull it upwards. She grunted in pain as the scalpel was still stuck in thigh and she'd only managed to make it worse by cutting herself upwards. Taking a moment to rest, she pulled it out and slowly started to work on the leather binds.

After a good 15 minutes she freed her left hand. Placing the knife within hands reach, she freed her other hand and subsequently got out. Straightening up, she pocketed the scalpel and for the first time took in the details of the room she was confined in.

She was most likely underground. Her clothes and bag were off to the side. Looking through her belongings, she noticed the GPS was still on and working. _Good, she thought. Ryosuke'll figure it out._

She grabbed her clothes only to realize they were cut open, probably to change her. She was going to be stuck wearing the hospital gown with her back exposed.

She pulled on the door, only to find it locked. Looking around, she noticed there weren't any windows and the vents were too tiny to fit through. She'd have to pick the lock. She got to work and after a few minutes heard a little click that told her she was in the clear. She opened the door slightly, and peaked outside. She was now in a long narrow hallway with multiple doors attached. Still unable to move very well, she clutched the wall beside her and began heading towards a central hallway. If she could find a main computer system, she could hack into their main server, get a list of their clients, activities, and doctors involved. She'd also be able to find a blueprint of this facility and locate where they held their victims. Walking a little quicker now, she passed a few rooms. They all looked similar to the one she's been in, however, majority of them were empty.

After a while, she hit a lab with multiple computers and desks. She sat down at one and began to type and hack into the main system. She had to be discrete as it was likely they'd find a leak and notice. Finding what she was looking for, she ruffled through her bag, found her tiny camera and furiously clicked pictures of the screen. Logging out of the system, she headed down a hallway and to the room that would lead her to Hikaru-kun if he were still okay.

Finally she reached the chamber he was being held in. Unfortunately 2 guards were blocking the path and one of them was the massive guy from before. Suddenly, the alarm system went off, and the blaring siren screamed in her ears. _Dammit! They found out I escaped_.

She had to act quickly. One of the guards left to find a superior and the massive man stayed behind. No choice, she'd have to knock him out. Counting to three, she lunged from her corner, and using the element of surprise landed a solid roundhouse on his face. Bulky as he was, however, it did little good. She'd use the scalpel only if she needed it. Blocking his punch, he grabbed her arm, twisted it and she felt the joint crack painfully. Twisting out of his grip, she managed to rotate to face him tried to aim for his temple or neck, both tasks that seemed impossible.

Deciding this wasn't helping, she pulled out the scalpel and stabbed his chest. Kicking him backward, he crashed through the light door. Taking advantage of his stupor, she snuck around behind him and choked him with her gown. Falling to the floor, she made sure to check him out. He was unconscious, the scalpel had only torn through muscle. Looking around, she saw a frightened looking Hikaru, tears staining his glowing face, and purple bruises erupting from his arms and legs. He scrambled to his feet and the two hugged each other tightly, neither willing to let the other go.

Separating, she realized the alarm was still blaring and that they had to get out of here quickly. Looking around, she noticed another three kids, wide eyed and frightened, huddled around a middle-aged woman. "Come on, we're getting out now!" She said to all of them.

"Thank you." The woman whispered as Yasmine helped her up. The two of them and four kids ran down the corridor. Suddenly, the older woman stopped. "Do you smell that?"

Noticing for the first time, Yasmine smelled smoke.

"-mine…" She heard a voice. "Yasmine!" She turned around and there Hikaru-kun was. He'd finally managed to speak. It touched her that he'd spoken her name first. Looking at where he was pointing, she saw a quickly spreading fire.

"RUN!" She yelled. All 6 six headed turned a hallway, climbed a few stairs. The exits on the blue print she'd taken photos of were blocked by the fire and there was no way she was going to be able to transport 4 children through it. They headed to the upper floors and having an idea, she urged everyone into a room that hadn't been touched by the fire yet. She'd only seen this in movies, but she hoped it would work. Kicking the locked window open, she ran out of the room, and came back with a few bed sheets. Catching on, the two women worked together to tie them together. Tying one end to the doorknob, and letting the other through the window, they were ready to escape.

"Alright kids, you're going to go with auntie-"

"Mizu"

"Auntie Mizu, here." Yasmine pointed to the youngest one. She placed the child on Mizu's back, who then grabbed hold of the sheets and started to descend downwards. Reaching the ground, Misu waited for the others.

"Onee-chan. My sister and I can climb down by ourselves. We used to do this to sneak out to our cousin's all the time!" Said the oldest looking boy. The two siblings only looked a year apart and seemed to know what they were doing. So that solved that problem. The children took longer to get down.

"Hurry, the fires getting closer!" Yasmine yelled out the window. She felt bad rushing them but at this rate they were going to be toast.

"Onee-san" she heard Hikaru.

"Looking around, she saw the fire slowly enter the room. Quickly it spread to the bed. The kids had reached the bottom. Great, now she could take Hikaru down on her back. As she was about to head towards the window, there was sudden roar and the fire lept towards them. She knew she didn't have much time. "HOLD ON HIKARU!!" She yelled through fire, her eyes stinging and voice cracking.

She lept out the window through the fire and while they were falling, she grabbed the sheets with both hands. Ignoring the rope burn she was getting and the cracked elbow screaming, she slowed down the fall and hop down fairly quickly.

"Everyone okay?" She asked catching her breath.

"Where did that fire come from?" Asked Mizu.

"They figured they'd probably never catch us in this maze. They must've escaped and torched the place to erase all the evidence."

"We better get going."

They were about to run across the field when they heard the roar of an engine getting closer. Yasmine tensed up getting ready to dodge if she had to. Turning around, relief washed through her as she saw her own car speeding towards her. Pulling to a stop, he stepped out. Yasmine and Ryosuke just looked at each other. His expressions changed from fury to relief so fast Yasmine actually chuckled.

Softening up, he stepped forward and gathered her in his arms. Surprised and tired, she actually leaning into his chest and nestled closer.

"I didn't think you'd die so easily."

Coming to her sense, she pushed him away awkwardly. "We need to get them home." Looking around, she saw five faces blushing at the display of affection. "Anyways, guys, just get in."

They crammed themselves into the car and headed home, Yasmine's adrenaline rush coming to an end and the feeling coming back to her back, leg, arm, and hands.


	9. Returning

HEY guys!!! So I've uploaded a new chapter XD!!! As usual, thank you for reading so far :D. It really makes my day to know you took the time to get through all this. I hope you've enjoyed it. This chapter is a bit slower than the others, but it sets the stage for some important plot development. Like I said, the story is FAR from over. Also, I've been getting a lot of requests to incorporate other initial D characters. Not to worry, that will happen eventually. I just need some space to establish a link and bring them into the picture. Alrighty, so without further interruption… please comment and hope you enjoy it!!

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There was complete silence now, and Ryosuke speed along the high way. He'd always been confident doing first aid and taking care of people, but when he'd seen her and realized truly how fragile Yasmine was, he felt afraid. He was afraid to break her. He could not stand to see her in pain, and sight of her face contorted in pain, as the adrenaline wore off was enough to send shivers down his spine. He bandaged her as best he could with his limited resources, and gave her some painkillers, which seemed to have had their desired effect. Resting her head on the passengers seat, Yasmine and Hikaru up front were fast asleep and the four in the back also sleeping. They had been through a lot in the past little while. What Ryosuke didn't know was that this didn't even begin to cover what Yasmine had been through.

He quite enjoyed watching her sleep. It was the one time she didn't show him a restless expression with her eyebrows furrowed. From her reaction earlier, he'd guessed she didn't fall asleep much. But now she'd fallen asleep in front of him, disarmed, not once, but twice. He counted himself lucky.

Stirring, she woke up only find Ryosuke staring at her. "What're you looking at?" She asked rather defensively.

Looking away, he responded "Are you always this tense?"

"No. Of course not." She said settling down a little.

"How do you feel?" He now asked with marked concern.

"Better. Thank you, they medicine helped. So do you just carry a first aid kit with you everywhere you go?"

"No but apparently you do." He said, having found it in her trunk.

Surprised, she remembered this was her car. "That's right. I'm clumsy."

"Come on, Yasmine! Why do you do that?"

"Do what?" Now she was genuinely confused.

"You know! I ask you a question and you always evade it!" He asked with frustration. "I was there with you when you went into the warehouse, yet you knocked me out. I found you when you were running out of the fire, yet you won't tell me anything about how you got hurt. Normal people in Japan don't carry first aid kits with them, so obviously, there is a reason for you to. Which means that you getting yourself into trouble is not all that uncommon. And you won't tell me why!" He hadn't exploded like that in a LONG time. The last time he'd lost his composure and become angry was when his little brother had crashed on an oil spill while running their final race in Saitama against those thugs. "Look, I don't know about you, but I don't normally visit underground black market places, nor infiltrate secret hospitals, or scale buildings. This is all a first for me, and I think I deserve to know what happened."

Yasmine sat in silence for a long time. Though she didn't like his pompous attitude very much, she had to admit, he was right. He hadn't asked to get dragged into all this. It was just his bad luck. So she started with when she'd awoken and told him the rest of story. At the end of it, Ryosuke drove in silence. He didn't know what to say. He just felt disturbed and sickened by his staff. "You know, the sickest part of this whole thing, is I think they were trying to do good. Like the death of one saves the lives of many."

"I don't know how this slipped past me." Ryosuke was frustrated he hadn't caught on. For a man of his perception, this was very out of character.

"It wasn't really your fault. I wouldn't have thought too much of it if I hadn't been hospitalized a few weeks ago and the girl beside me hadn't mentioned the 'bad place'. In the end, I never really figured out what the bad place was.

"Anyway, where are we going?"

"We're heading to my hospital first, where my father with personally take care of you. I'll upload your pictures, and the children to the police and they can deal with it form there on."

"What about Hikaru? He doesn't have anywhere to go."

"He could return to the hospital, but after what he went through, he'll need someone he trusts to be with him. Like you. You know, maybe if you took him in, he'd recover quite quickly." Ryosuke was hoping that by taking Hikaru in, Yasmine would do things that were less dangerous. She's have someone else to think about and be responsible for.

She sat there for a moment, deep in thought. "I would love to," she started. "But I don't think I can take care of him. I've never been around kids before and honestly, you've how my line of work can get. It's not exactly a 9-5 job and then go home to take care of the kid."

"You're a journalist. So settle down. It might do you some good to write about things from the safety of your desk."

"That's not possible. I'm sorry."

"Excuse me? What do you mean that's not possible? What more do you intend to do?" He asked now becoming more and more concerned.

"Again, not like I have to justify myself to you, but in order to understand cases and get inside information, you have to go undercover a lot."

"I'm not sure if I understand you. You WANT to put yourself in imminent danger?"

"No of course not, it'll only be for a while." Immediately Yasmine knew she'd said too much.

"A little while? So when are you going to stop. Why not now? What exactly are you trying to accomplish?" He grilled.

"Okay, listen! Stop with the questions, it's my life, and at this point in time, I just don't have the resources to take of anyone other than myself."

With that Ryosuke didn't say more. He couldn't tell if he liked the woman, or hated her. He'd take in the kid, but between everything else he was doing, he wouldn't be able to care for him. And at this point, if Yasmine didn't take him in, it wouldn't matter who else did.

He dropped off all three children and Mizu to the police station and handed over the pictures Yasmine had taken. It was there job now. After giving some statements, he took Yasmine to the hospital to run some tests and make sure they hadn't done anything else to her. Her arm was badly swollen and the cut on her thigh badly infected. The rope burns on her hand were shallow, however, and her soreness in her back was bound to go away. Aching, everywhere, she sat down on a couch waiting for her results to come in.

Hikaru ran up to her. "Yasmine nee-san! Am coming with you?"

He looked so innocent it broke her heart to say no. But with the kind of work she did she'd never be able to care for him the way he deserved. "Hikaru-kun. There are a lot of good people in this world. Ryosuke-sensei for example is a great person. I can't take care of you now. But I promise, you'll be somewhere where you'll always have love and affection. And I'll come visit."

She could already see the boy's face begin to fall. But the ever polite child held his tears and said, "I don't want to live with anyone but you nee-san!"

Yasmine's heart softened looking at his sweet face. She didn't want any harm to come to him. She had grown attached to the child and wasn't really ready to let him go either. As much as she wasn't sure if she could handle being with him, she wasn't sure if her heart could let her let him go. "Okay." She conceded. "From now on, you'll be in my care."

His eyes widened. That soft golden hair bounced up as he relaxed. And for the first time since Yasmine had met him, the child broke out in such a beautifully radiant smile, she was sure that saying yes was the best decision she'd ever made.

"Looks like you have a heart after all." Startled she turned around, only to that Ryosuke had snuck up behind her, his face only a few inches away from hers. "So I guess that's it with the undercover missions?"

"Maybe. We'll see. I guess I'll have to find other ways to get what I want."

"What you want? So there is a motive behind the way you operate."

"Maybe." She relied nonchalantly. She was a woman with an agenda. She wasn't sure how she felt about Ryosuke knowing everything about her. Even if she felt safer around him, it was clear he was trouble. He messed with her judgment.

"In any case, I've decided to keep the child. But I might need your help if I have to leave for a few days."

"Why me?"

"Because he actually knows you, as opposed to some stranger."

He was hoping the response would be something less logical and cuter, but he guessed there was a limit to hoping.

"Alright, that's fine. All your tests came out negative, by the way, so you're free to leave. I'll take care of the paper work for you tomorrow night, and you'll have to sign a few documents to gain custody of Hikaru."

"Alright then." She got up to leave and was nearly out the door when she heard Ryosuke call her again.

"You said Hikaru reminded you of someone. Who was it?"

She paused momentarily thinking hard to herself. Turning around, she stared at him for what seemed to be an eternity. Her piercing grey eyes looking at him with pain. "Hikaru. He reminds me of my son. He's out there somewhere. I'll find him eventually. By now, he must be about 7 years old." Choking back a lump in her throat. She took hold of Hikaru's hand and walked out the door, got in her car and left, leaving a shocked Ryosuke behind to deal with his emotions.


	10. The Truth

Alright friends!! Here are another few chapters. I decided to upload them together because they're suspenseful, and I didn't want to make you all wait for it. I really hope these chapters are what you expect or more, because I know last chapter, I gave Yasmine a son, and I'm bound to get mixed feelings about that. So here it is!

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_Mount Akagi_

It had been a while since Yasmine had dropped the shocking piece of information on him. He'd been in a considerably bad mood ever since, curtly snipping at his younger brother for every mistake he made on the road. The team had never really seen him so fierce before.

Fumihiro, Ryosuke's best friend, confidante, and partner seemed more worried than he'd ever been.

"Ever since that Yasmine chick came along, and ruined his hospital ward," whispered Keisuke to his protégée Kenta shaking his head in disgust. "He's been receiving a lot of flak from dad and I just want Aniki to get her here so I can have a rematch. I don't even know she did it, but I've got to try again. I can't believe I'd lose to anyone other than Fujiwara."

"Ano Keisuke-san, do you think Ryosuke-san likes Yasmine? When she showed up that day, his face kind of lit up, and he was pleasantly surprised to see her there. He never shows that kind of emotion, even when we win races that are tough to beat."

"What Aniki? Naaaaw. He wouldn't fall into the love game. He's the type that has women chasing him. He's never been interested before."

"But she's an incredible driver. Maybe he's attracted to that?"

"How rare Kenta! You're actually being insightful today. But no, he wouldn't. My Aniki's too cool for love. Besides, other than what I've told him, he hasn't actually seen her drive. They just worked together, that's all. You what frustrates me, I've been hanging around, doing stuff, just being within talking distance of him, and he won't even say anything to me. It just makes me feel like a worthless ottoto." Keisuke confessed, feeling a little bitter.

"Keisuke-san you're NOT worthless! You're an amazing racer and the coolest person I know!" Kenta jumped to his rescue. The man simply adored his mentor and hated to see him get down about things like this.

"Thank you Kenta. I'm sure there are other things you could be doing than listen to my depressing life."

"Not at all Keisuke-san."

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Meanwhile, Ryosuke hurried back and forth from Keisuke and Takumi setting of things for them to work on and do. Contrary to what Keisuke believed, he'd already fallen in love with Yasmine. He didn't know what he even liked. But he wasn't stupid enough to be oblivious to his feelings. He acted irrational when she was around, felt a twitch in his heart when she even pretended to show interest in other men, admired her fierce independence and that so much strength erupted out of such a small body. And that she was single handedly so much more beautiful than anyone he'd ever met. Even so, he's just spent the past few days avoiding her and pretending to be busy so his feelings wouldn't erupt and he wouldn't say something he'd regret.

He busied himself as Keisuke approached him. "Aniki, I'm done my run…" He asked kind of hesitantly.

"Alright, and how did you do?"

"I had a little trouble in the corners with the braking you wanted me to do, but I think I've gotten the hang on it now."

"Okay." He furiously typed away at his laptop and thought to himself. Facing his brother again, he said, "Continue until you've mastered it."

"Aniki…" Keisuke started. "I… What happened? Something is wrong and you haven't been acting like yourself."

Ryosuke turned around and saw a very worried looking Keisuke standing beside him. For a minute his face betrayed his emotions. What Keisuke saw was the depth of Ryosuke's sadness. Why is something he couldn't quite understand. "Alright boys, pack up, we're calling it a night."

Everyone milled about and finally drove away. The only two left were Ryosuke and his brother sitting on the guardrail drinking warm coffee.

"Does this have to do with the Yasmine girl?" He asked. Though he already knew the answer.

"Keisuke, women don't interest me. I've never had any sort of attraction to them."

"Aniki… you're not…" Keisuke struggled to find the right words. "You're not… confused are you? Because, if you're coming out and stuff, you know, I would support you… I guess, and all, but dad might kill you and mom might die of shock, but, besides that's just-"

"Okay NO! I'm not… confused!" Ryosuke almost laughed out loud thinking about the way he'd come off. "That's not what I mean. I've never had any interest in women, they've always come chasing after me. But it's different now."

"Yasmine." Keisuke said, understanding.

"Yes. I don't know when I started feeling this way about her. Look, I'm virtually perfect in all that I do. But when I see Yasmine I keep making one mistake after another. I thought she was a nursing school mistake when I first saw her, then some mindless flirt. Then I find out she's a journalist. She nearly got killed trying to save Hikaru and even though we'd gone to get him together, she didn't even need me once. I was more a liability to her than an actual help."

He stopped talking and listened to the night. This was the first time Keisuke had heard him be so honest and open with him. It really pleased him to know that his brother could talk to him this way even when it was not related to racing. Afterall, they'd grown up together. He wasn't sure how he liked his brother being in love with some girl. Somehow, it humanized his idea of Ryosuke being the ultimate perfect being. But he knew it didn't matter how he felt, and he didn't want his brother to live the rest of his life alone either. "Aniki, did you tell her you like her?" He asked.

Ryosuke just stared out into the valley below the guardrail.

"Did she reject you?" He couldn't even imagine the idea of anyone rejecting him. He'd always had hoards of woman to pick from.

"She didn't have to." He answered. Seeing Keisuke's confused expression, he continued, "She has a son."

Keisuke chocked on his coffee and wanted to smack himself on the forehead. The one girl his brother had actually fallen for and she's taken, with a son.

"It's not what you think," Ryosuke said watching, almost amused, as Keisuke's expressions changed every 15 seconds. "She has a son, but he's missing. He's 7 years old, she's 23, so that would have made her 16 when she had him. She and her boyfriend or husband, or who ever the father is, are probably looking for him."

"So you have mixed feelings for her. You thought she was this amazing woman, turns out she got pregnant at 16."

"That's only half of it. I don't know if she's with someone or not. But the thought of her with someone else just wrecks me. I just get pissed just thinking about her in bed with some guy. It's frustrating because she doesn't even think about me like that. At all. When I touch her, even casually, she flinches. She hates who I am. That makes me madder."

"Wait! You said she _flinches_ when you touch her?"

"Yeah, but she'll be fine if it's to get what she wants."

"Hang on, Aniki, don't you get it?" Keisuke understood now. Speaking now with urgency, he continued, "Women usually don't flinch when it's just casual touching. Even if they're the don't-touch-me type, they usually don't _feel_ anything. Flinching implies fear, which would mean she's afraid of you."

Putting two and two together, Ryosuke froze in shock as he realized what must have happened. "I have to go. How did you figure it out?"

"When I was thug, I saw way too many like that. You have to handle her carefully. Of course we could be wrong, she might just not like you."

"At this point I'm hoping it's the latter."

Keisuke got up and headed to his car. "I'll let you think." _This is getting complicated,_ he thought.

Ryosuke drove down Akagi, and within a half an hour of his maniacal driving, found Yasmine's home. It was 3 in the morning, but he didn't care, he had to settle this as soon as possible. He couldn't take how he felt now.

Throwing pebbles at the window, he waited patiently, until he heard the door creak open with the chain lock still attached. "WHAT are you doing here?" She asked annoyed and sleepy.

Now wishing he'd just gone home and waited til the morning, he answered, "I just wanted to see you. I need to ask you something. I know this is crazy, and it's 3 in the morning, but please let me in for a few minutes." He knew he sounded like a madman, and that if she turned him away she'd have complete rights to.

"And this can't wait until the morning?" She sounded highly suspicious.

"Well, at the time it couldn't but now I'm reconsidering. Since you're already up, please? Hear me out."

"I must be crazy to let you in. I was hoping you could help me with Hikaru's paperwork, and you were busy every time I tried to find you. Something told me you were avoiding me, so what are you doing here? Whisper or you'll wake Hikaru." She demanded as she slid the chain of the lock and let him in.

Standing inside now, and in front of the door, he saw her tightened her robe around her and move a little away from him. "I have been avoiding you. I'm sorry I shouldn't have, but you'd just told me you had a son."

She looked like she'd been slapped. She didn't realize the conversation was going to be steering in that direction. Tensing up, she asked, "What does my son have to do with anything. Why would you be avoiding me because of that?"

"Because it hurt. It hurt that you were with someone. That you might be married."

"I don't understand why the hell would you care." She said. Somewhere in her heart, she knew the answer, but she didn't want to voice it.

"Because…" He trailed off, looking for the right words. "Because I didn't want there to be anyone in your life. Because I fell in love with you."

"Get out." She said suddenly afraid.

"Listen, I won't hurt-"

"Just leave, or I'll call the cops." Her voice was quivering, getting louder with each statement.

"Listen, I won't hurt you, I promise," He turned around put his hands in his pockets pulled out a pair of handcuffs and cuffed his owns hands together. Turning around again he looked at her and her frightened expression. "I think I know how you had your son." He said sadly.

"You don't know anything."

"I want to know. I want to know everything about you."

"Why are you doing this?"

"I'm telling you, I won't hurt you. I just want to help. Help you find your son."

"What do you want me to do for you?"

"You don't have to do anything for me. I told you, I care about you. This is the first time I've ever confessed to a woman, and the first time she's told me to get out. If you haven't guessed yet, I'm not very experienced with women, by choice."

"You'll really help me find him. For free?" She asked now skeptical. She knew he would be a great resource and that Ryosuke had connections with many different types of people. He could probably find her quicker than she ever would and if they were to work on it together, nothing could stop them.

"I'll never demand anything of you. You don't even have to love me back." He was sure this was the only way he'd ever be able to spend time with her and get her to learn to trust him.

Yasmine looked away, thinking over it. Finally, "Alright." She said. "Where are your keys? You don't need to cuff yourself." Then looking into his eyes, her eyebrows furrowed, she said, "I trust you."

"Breaking into a smile, Ryosuke felt relief wash over him. "They're in the car."

After successfully uncuffing him, making some Indian Chai, and ordering pizza, she and Ryosuke sat on her couch silently, waiting for the other to speak.

"I know it's late. I just had wanted to tell you how I felt about you, if you want we can talk in the morning."

"It is morning," she joked. "I'd rather tell you now, before I lose my nerve. Maybe the things I tell you will give you a hint as to where he might be. But before I start I need to warn you. Not all of this is pretty. I've done some awful things, and I'm not sure how you'll feel about me when I finishing telling you. If I tell you, you might not even want to search for my son anymore."

"Listen, I've made the offer to search for your son by myself. Regardless of what you say and what you may have done, this boy is innocent. He deserves to be found."

"Okay then." She looked at her cup deep in thought, not knowing where to start. So she decided to start at the beginning. Where she lived, how she'd lived and how she'd come to Japan. And this was her story.


	11. The Past I The Beginning

Hey guys, some terminology in this chapter.

_Beti_ = daughter (almost like "dear")

_Ji_ = Yes.

_Daadajaan = _Grandfather

_Daadijaan = _Grandmother

_Sarees = _A form of Indian Clothing.

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_Yasmine's POV:_

I grew up in a small town in India. I can't quite remember the name anymore because it's been such a long time. But I do remember that it was so small you could walk across it from one end to another in only one day. Other than the usual residents, many merchants selling _sarees_ and jewelry would pass by. My favorite was the jewelry vendor. Sometimes if I sang for him, he would give me a free bracelet. I would run around town and show all my friends what I had received for my efforts. Other than that, I don't remember much of my life.

Sometimes, I can remember glimpses of my parents, usually through dreams or when I'm nodding off to sleep. I don't even remember how my mother and father look anymore. I do remember that my mom always smelled of Jasmine flowers, which is where my name came from, and that my father always wore this large silver watch. From what I remember they loved me very much and my mom often would tell me bedtime stories. I don't remember those either, just that they were old tales passed down through oral tradition.

My Daadajaan was village chief. He was very reputed throughout our small community and our surrounding towns all knew of his kindness and generosity, for he had often helped the other villages by sharing our resources and giving funds out of his own pocket. He was my role model. He was small and frail but he commanded such respect. I wanted to be just like him. I spent a lot of time with my grandparents.

"You're going to make such a beautiful bride one day sweet baby," my Daadijaan would often say.

That day I had gone outside and had found my mother with her friends weaving together Jasmine flowers. Their kids were also there. I never quite got along with the girls my age. It was my copper hair and gray eyes. Compared to their jet-black hair and black eyes, my looks were far from regular. I may not have been the most beautiful thing in the world, but I didn't think I deserved the torment I received form them. The other ladies were kind to me however, and as I drew near, they gestured for me to come closer.

"Here _Beti_, come sit with Urshi aunty." She was a rather plump woman with straight hair slicked back. She was my favorite. She always invited my parents over and often let me play with her son. He was quite a prince, if I remember carefully, and we were very close – he was 2 years older than I. All the other girls adored him, so it made my situation even worse. But when I was with Arshad, I didn't care. I could tell him anything, and we could talk about anyone and anything. He would save me from all the bullying I went through with the other girls, not aware that he only made it worse. But I still loved him for it, and I think he might have been my first childhood crush.

One evening we were visiting Urshi Aunty's house and Arshad and I were playing in the living room. He was showing me some magic tricks he'd learned and then out of a tablecloth he produced a wreath of Jasmine flowers. "Here Yasmine, one day when we get married, I'll make you a really NICE one. But you can keep this for now."

"What's 'marry'?" I asked rather innocently. I wasn't too aware of the concept. I was only six at the time.

"You know, it's when you're good friends with someone and then you live in the same house as them. We could play together all the time!" He said his face lighting up. "I heard our parents and they said we're going to get married."

"_Really?_ I would like that! Could you imagine! It would be so much fun!" Of course I had no idea what marriage really was. It might be unusual for a child my age and his as well, to not know, but in a small town such as ours, it was quite taboo to speak of such matters if we weren't of age.

I went home that night feeling more elated than I ever had, thinking of all the fun we would have together.

"Who gave you those flowers, honey?" My mother asked me.

Breaking into a huge smile, I told her of our discussion.

Chuckling, she said, "Is that so, dear? Well, maybe you should keep that to yourself for now. You know what they say. If you spread your joy too far, someone might cast the evil eye." Taking her words literally to heart, I never spoke of it again. I didn't want to run out of the happiness I had.

Then one day I returned home from school, running and tripping all over the place. I'd just gotten my first test back and had gotten an A. I was elated and wanted to show my parents right away. As I approached my small home, I realized something was different. There were people everywhere, moving, walking in and out with solemn faces. I slowed my pace, sensing a tense atmosphere. Getting closer, I saw my Daadijaan weeping in our living room and some people hugging her and consoling her. I wanted my parents but they were nowhere to be found. So I looked for Daadajaan instead. I found him speaking to a few of the village men and handing them some money.

I ran back to Daadijaan, trying to cheer her up and held out my test to her, "Look Daadijaan. It's my first A in the school year. I'm going to be just like Daadajaan. So don't cry, I'll steal your sadness and give you only happiness."

She wiped her tears and looked into my eyes. Her gray ones mirrored mine. She held my hand, drew me in close and hugged me for a very long time. I was unsure of how to react. And then I started to cry too. I didn't know why I was crying or why I was so sad. But like a wave it hit me. And my mind went blank and I couldn't think anymore, I was just overwhelmed with sadness.

"Oh beti, don't cry. Don't cry. God is great. Everything happens for a reason. Now I want you to go to Urshi Aunty's place. I've already called her. You can find your way right?"

"Ji Daadijaan. Okay."

With that I left, not knowing why my house was bustling with sad looking people, why my Daadijaan was so upset, and why Daadajaan didn't even notice me. I told Arshad all this, and he only looked away. I always got the feeling he knew, he just wasn't allowed to tell me. Not wanting to give him a hard time, I let it go. I slept over at Urshi Aunty's house that night. When I woke up to get a glass of water, I heard her weeping and crying in her husband's arms. That's when I knew something was horribly wrong. By morning, I had not slept at all. I wanted my parents. Where were they when something had gone so wrong? Why weren't here to pick me up?

In the morning I went home and Daadijaan and Daadajaan were waiting for me. I walked up to the couch and sat in the middle.

"That's not how you sit, beti!" And then Daadajaan lifted me up lightly and placed me in his lap. "Now, beti, are you listening to me?"

"Ji, Daadajaan."

"Beti, we love you very much and that's why we want to be with you all the time right?"

"Ji, Daadajaan," I said not knowing where this was leading.

"Well, your mamma and pappa where very sweet people. And you know, God loved them very much. So that's why He wanted them close to Him," said Daadajaan his voice quivering.

"Beti, God will take care of your parents, and one day you can see them again. He's keeping them safe right now. He's keeping them safe in Heaven," Concluded Daadijaan.

I wasn't sure how I felt. I knew what they were saying. I wasn't old enough to understand the concept of death yet, but I knew enough to know that I wouldn't see them again. Never. That my last time looking at my mother was before I went to school that day. That she'd never see my A. These thoughts swirled in my head and I grew hot thinking about all the times I'd made her mad. Why couldn't God have let me say goodbye to them? And as I was thinking, my eyes started burning. Something wet and warm was streaming down my face. The vision of my grandparents was getting blurry. My mind was not thinking, and my eyes were not seeing. My legs were acting of their own accord. I was walking. What my grandparents were saying I could not hear. And that was the beginning of my misfortune. I walked far that day. Just kept walking and crying. Unbeknownst to me, my Daadajaan followed me, to make sure I was safe.

As I sat by the river, Arshad came to me. "You know, when people die, they don't really die. They just take a vacation. One day they'll come back to you. But until then, you can be with me. I'll take care of you and keep you safe."

I began to cry again. I thought I had run out of tears to cry, but they just kept falling. Arshad took me in his arms and rocked me back and forth. If I didn't have him and my grandparents I would have lost my will a long time ago. I was so pitiful that even the other girls had stopped picking on me. Slowly but surely, I became friends with them. And out past differences were forgotten as they realized, we were all together and in a community to support each other.

Of all the girls, my best friend was Diya. She was the one who had disliked me the most, partially because of her own little crush on Arshad. But after the death of my parents, she decided she'd forgive me for keeping him all to myself and we became close. Diya, Arshad, and I would hang out together for hours on end. We were literally attached at the hip. With Diya, I had found a confidante, a female influence with whom I could explore my femininity. I had come to live with my grandparents, and eventually, they overtook the role of my parents. With time, and with Diya's and Arshad's company, the pain of their death lessened and I began to miss them less than I had before.

A year passed, then two. Like this, I kept busy with my friends, school, and grandparents. Then when I was eight years old, my entire life turned inside out. And the pain of losing my parents could never compare to the pain I felt the next few years and the how I still feel now.

It was a chilly autumn day when I first saw him. He was a freakishly large man, with quite a frightening face. He would come by and stand in front of our house watching us go in and out. Eventually, my Daadajaan came out and asked if there was anyone he was waiting for in particular.

"I was looking for the Chief village," he answered.

"That would be me. Welcome to our humble town."

"Yes, humble it is." Replied the man.

Being polite, my grandfather invited him inside our house and my Daadijaan made some tea. Having just come from school, I ran into the house to see him sitting with my Daadajaan. Immediately I backed away, having a bad feeling in my gut.

"Beti, this is Yohan-sab." My Daadajaan introduced.

I walked up to him, and held out my hand to shake it. "I'm Yasmine."

I could feel like eyes piercing my skin. He touched my hand and felt it inside his larger hand. "Nice to meet you Yasmine. You will be beautiful one day you know." I was too young to know what was happening. Only that the way he looked at me was not right. And that my Daadajaan was not going to stand for it.

He grabbed my hand loose from Yohan's and asked me to go upstairs. "Now what is it you want exactly, Mr. Yohan?" Of course, I never went upstairs. I simply hid at the top of the stairs and eavesdropped on everything that was said.

"It's simple really. My brother and I have started this business. We need a factory to produce our merchandise. So we want to buy your village. Will you sell?"

"Sell my village? I don't think that's possible. This village is the community's, I am dispensable, but the people here won't want to be under you." My Daadajaan replied.

"Well you must. We need land to build our factory. And your village is perfect. What do you people do anyway? I'll give you enough money to move and settle somewhere else."

"I'm sorry, but this village is our home. Now please, kindly leave, and do not return."

"You have a beautiful granddaughter there. It'd be nice if she were to be… _handled_ with as much love as you give her here. I'm sure those gray eyes and that beautiful hair are such an asset for her. Maybe you should think of her best interests when you make your decision." He sneered.

Rising, Daadajaan, walked to the door and held it open. "Leave now. If you ever speak about my granddaughter that way, I will personally see to it that you die a very painful death."

"Is that so? I'll be back again." With that, he put on his shoes, and left the house.

I had never seen Daadajaan become so angry ever. He was usually calm and collective and for me, he'd exploded at a complete stranger.

After that day, I saw many changes occurring to our village. People in suits moved in and out assessed the area and walked away. That evening, there was a town meeting. My Daadajaan headed it to notify everyone of what was happened. Daadijaan and I sat to the side listening to what was happening, listening to the men discuss what we were going to do.

"You know that this village is our home. Our farms are here, our life is here. Those big city hotshots want us to sell them this land. They've threatened to take action if we don't. What do you think?" My Daadajaan opened.

"Sell?! They're crazy!" Roared one of the uncles.

"This place has the mark of our blood, sweat, and tears. We can't leave here." Said another elderly man.

"I do not want to sell this place either, but don't forget we have neighboring villages we can disperse into who are willing to take us in and settle us." My Daadajaan informed.

"NO! We'll stay here the rest of our lives! Let the city people come! We'll defend this place with our lives!"

With that the roar of the men grew louder and louder as they vowed to protect this town form the city men and their thugs. They'd put their lives on it. Everyone went home that night feeling elated and content and pumped up to keep our land. A few men were posted around town to keep and eye out for the city men and their thugs. However, little did we know that disaster was going strike, and that our tiny manpower would mean nothing in the face of the city men.

I was fast asleep lying between my Daadajaan and Daadijaan. I often slept in my own room, but tonight, I slept between them to feel safe and protected. It wasn't long before I woke hearing yells and screams in the road. My grandparents waking up put on their robes and peeked out side.

"Oh dear Lord, forgive us and save us form this blight." My Daadijaan prayed. "What are we going to do?" She stared to cry.

Confused I got up to check what was happening, but my Daadajaan grabbed hold of me before I could. "Take her down to the cellar, I'm going to fix this mess." He said.

"No, come down with us, _please!_" My Grandma pleaded.

"I am Chief village. I will not run away from my duty. Take her and protect her!"

"Daadajaan! I'm staying with you! I'm not going," I began to cry. I didn't know what was happening but I didn't care. My life would be over without my grandparents anyway. I might as well stay for them.

My Daadijaan, grabbed me, and somehow, despite my struggles she over powered me. Covering my eyes, so I couldn't see the mayhem around me, she rushed into our little cellar, closed the door, and the two of us huddled together waiting for everything to be over.

Minutes turned into hours and though I was safe, and I couldn't hear what was going on, I heard the horrible screams of my villagers and then the awful silence that followed.

Suddenly, we could both hear footsteps and hyena laughter erupting from just outside the door. "HAHAHAHAHA that bastard old man! What did he think he could do with that puny knife!"

"Heh, I wanted the blood of the Chief on my hands."

"Don't complain, I did a good job didn't I? Did you see his guts hanging out? What a fat stomach that bastard had."

I could hardly believe what I was hearing. It took a little while for me to register. Hope against hope, I kept wishing they were talking about someone else. But in my heart of hearts, I knew the truth. They had _murdered_ my Daadajaan.

Then unable to bear it, my Daadijaan gave a small sob. This was enough to alert the devils standing outside. Hushing up, we prayed they wouldn't find us. However, it seemed God did not care much for our prayers then. Slowly the cellar door opened and there stood Yohan with another equally bulky man.

"Well, well, well… What do we have here? The bitch and her money-maker."

"We aren't doing anything to you, so please just leave us in peace." My Daadijaan pleaded.

Before we could do anything, or run for it, the bulky man grabbed my Daadijaan's hair pulled her to her feet, as she grunted in pain.

"DAADIJAAN! STOP PYOUR HURTING HER! STOP IT!!!" I ran to her but Yohan grabbed me with one hand and pulled over his shoulder.

"Hmmm…" He sighed, looking at my dangling figure. "I can't wait til you're older. You smell like an investment."

"Don't do this please, just let us go!" I pleaded.

"Now, now, I am a businessman, I can't let such a good deal go." He said as his hand landed on my butt. I felt disgusted and awkward, but I couldn't show Daadijaan. "Get rid of the hag." Yohan instructed.

Before a sound could even escape my lips, the bulky man had taken out a large machete and in front of my eyes, I saw my grandma sliced to pieces, her body falling, her eyes closed.

From there it was as if I was observing everything in third person. Like I wasn't in my body anymore. I could see myself screaming as I took the scenery in. There were bodies lying everywhere. Some decapitated, some sliced just like my Daadijaan, and some were shot, with their brains spilled behind them. I couldn't see Arshad or Divya. But I saw Urshi Aunty and her husband, their faces crushed in. I could only recognize them because of her distinctly slicked back hair. I was more afraid than I had ever been and I heard myself scream and pounding Yohan's back.

Finally, he threw me in a truck. My only comfort was that here, Divya and Arashad were both with me. Scared and in shock, sweaty from all the terror of the night, we huddled together, cried, and waited for this nightmare to end. Either that, or our lives.


	12. The Past II Maid Service

We drove for what seemed to be weeks and months. Indian internal roads were as it is horrible to travel on. On top of it, going from an internal village such as ours to where ever they were taking us was no easy task. We weren't the only children taken. There were at least 20 – 25 of us. All huddled together, barely fed during those days, and only stopping for washroom breaks where the girls would need to be escorted by our captors. Soon hunger set in and fear. It was a repugnant odor that held us all in it's grimy grip. We'd only heard old folktale stories of bad children who'd been taken away. Of course, those were just to scare us into doing our chores. Now it didn't seem so trivial anymore and I wished desperately I could remember those stories, to keep from thinking about this one. Finally, we made it to our destination.

We were taken off the truck and lined up side-by-side, boys and girls separated. I looked at my feet and hoped that everything would be okay that nothing bad was going happen. Of course, this never seemed to be the case with me. We waited in fear, the anticipation more frightening than the actual event, as I recall.

After a long time, a middle aged man, kind of short and stubby came into the room we were being held in. Though his curly hair stood up on end, and his fat around his stomach and thighs hung out and dripped into tires, I remember that his most distinctive features were his eyes. I was so afraid of the way he looked at us – like pieces of meat waiting to be slaughtered. And that was exactly what we were to him. Looking at us real close he began to divide up the boys. The younger ones were in one batch and the older in another.

"Take the kids to the furnace," he instructed. "The older ones are going to the mine," he sneered, his mouth twisting into a snarling grin.

Finally he started to sort out the girls. The older girls that were over 12 were taken away immediately. The younger ones, were further sorted. I tried to get sorted with Diya, but luck was not on my side, and she was sent to the other group. He told the other men to take them away, and it was only after a long time that I learned that Diya was sold to a brothel and was raped and killed.

There were only 5 of us left now and he waited until everyone else left. "You 5 should be honored. Here sit down children, relax." I wasn't sure if he was being kind or not, but the tone of his voice did not match the intent of his words. "SIT DOWN FILTH!" He roared when none of us moved. We all scrambled and sat on a small mat in front him. "Better. Now you 5 will be my new children. Now all children have roles right? You must all take on you share of the work in this house if you don't want to be punished. I will give you each chores and you will do them without questions. You may not speak unless spoken to and can talk amongst yourselves only when you are alone." He paused, looked at us and then continued. "Now, to divide up the chores."

This won't be too bad, I thought. I used to do chores at home all the time. I could handle anything he gave me. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all.

"You in the green, you're number is 11. In the pink, you're twelve," and like that he gave us each numbers. We were to forget our names and only refer to each other as numbers. I, myself was 13. But I never did forget my name.

We were to bathe him, clean his room and washroom, massage his feet everyday, cook, and do laundry. The chores themselves were tolerable, but it was the way he treated us that was brutal. We only got one meal a day and we all slept together in the cellar. He used to chain us to the wall to keep us from running away, even though leaving was impossible. I used to tell myself that it could be worse, and that I could be out on the street begging for money. Instead, I had a meal to eat here and a place to sleep no matter how awful it was. I suppose I should have been grateful for that.

I think I must've eventually gotten used to it, but I never got used to the beatings. I remember the first time I made a mistake. It was in the kitchen and I'd slipped on water, come crashing down right onto a plate. It shattered and cut my foot. The man outside grabbed my hair and dragged me to a place outside. Eventually, we called it the "Wall". He made me strip to "preserve" my clothes. That day I went to bed feeling crippled from the lashes I received. My back cut with the whips I was beaten with. It was like walking in perpetual fear, and as a child I would try my best not to make mistakes but it was impossible to be perfect all the time.

At the time, it was him and us five children in the main house. As it turned out there were many other branch houses as well and he used children like us to work as maids and servants in those houses. Growing up, I was devoid of any adult female interaction. Sometimes he'd have one of his whores come by and they would do their business. The walls were thin, and us children could hear everything that went on. Not knowing what they were doing, we would become terrified that he may be killing her. Though this theory wasn't far off the mark as I later found out. All of them would go home long before daybreak, looking spent and exhausted.

Then one of the girls got sick, or at least that's what I believed at the time. She would bleed from her privates and it continued a while. Eventually, she could no longer hide it and the man slapped her across the face for becoming so dirty. As punishment for not telling him before, he gave the rest of us lashes. We went to sleep that morning only to wake and find her gone. Since then, I have never seen her again. We were all too frightened to know what had happened to her. The rest of the girls and I were sure she had died of the illness. We spent the next few days sterilizing our room to get rid of the bacteria that may have caused it.

Then when I hit 13, I too start to bleed profusely from my privates. With no one to tell me what this change was and how to deal with the awful pain, I could only remember when my friend had been taken away. How she had disappeared the morning after. With no one to tell me anything, I thought I was dying. I was going to die without knowing love, without getting out of this miserable place, without ever seeing Arshad.

I was summoned to the master's room that night. Terrified I walked as slowly as the other servants would allow me to.

"I'm dying aren't I? Please help me!!" I sobbed. I knew it would do no good, the man was heartless, but in the face of death, I lost all reason.

What I received for my efforts was a stinging blow to my face. My ears still ringing from the feel of it, I stumbled up and kneeled on the ground with my face bowed. "You're growing older, bitch," he said finally. "You aren't dying. This blood is proof of your womanhood. You are now a woman. So now you'll pay off your debt to me. I have no use for children like you, I like my women mature. But you got some pretty eyes and hair on you so you'll make someone real happy out there."

"Master what are you saying?" I whimpered. Was he going to let me go? Where would I stay? What would I eat? How would I live? Even though this place was horrible, it was still some shelter.

"I'm saying you're going to fetch me some good money," Walking up, he motioned for someone to come in. "Make her presentable for next week. Fly our Japanese client here and let him know we've got someone for him."

The woman took me away and for the first time in a long time, I received a proper meal. I didn't know how to feel about it. I was just so hungry and starved of food I ate it without questioning too much. She dressed me in a white dress with delicate lace. The dress was more beautiful than anything I had worn in years. She washed my face, gave me a warm bath, and told me to get some sleep if I didn't want to be thrown out to the wall. For a week until the bleeding stopped, this treatment continued and the daily showers, clothing, facials, and hair treatment had turned me into a woman and I began to notice myself and my body more. I noticed I had a clear face and crystal gray eyes. My copper hair (after being cut by the woman) was thick and long. I was thin, but I had curves I'd never noticed before. I hadn't looked at myself in a mirror for so long I'd forgotten my own face. And staring back at me was a woman I'd never seen before.

After the week was over, and the bleeding had stopped, the woman explained to me the changes I was going through. That this was called a period, and that it would happen for 7 days every month. It was a lot for me to take in and the most I got out of the conversation was that I wasn't dying and that I would be okay. It seemed things were getting better than before. That this "period" had changed my life. How much, I had no vision off then. How was I to know that this was only the calm before the storm and that my real life was only just beginning? After the woman had explained everything to me, she took me to an underground basement.

"Well, well, you've really brought me a treat this time round haven't you?"

"Well, she was the one we told you about 3 years ago. You remember? Said we'd found you a real catch and that she just needed some time to blossom." The woman said.

"Lucky me," he said. Walking over he took a strand of my hair and felt it between his fingers. At the time, I couldn't help but be captivated by his charisma. He was incredibly handsome. I could tell he was well built, had a tattoo on his arm, cigarette between his lips, and one of the most beautiful faces I've ever seen. "Hello, baby, the name's Rei."

I withdrew slightly not wanting to touch him or answer him. Though captivated by him I was, I was also hopelessly afraid of this energy and strength. The complexities of his character are something I doubt I can understand even today.

I left the room and waited for him by his red car as he had instructed me. After a while he emerged and we both got in and he began to drive. "So, you're 13?" He asked.

Suddenly I felt rage at being called a number. I may not have been able to do anything there, but here, I was a human. "My name is YASMINE." I said, my tone angry and more aggressive than I had anticipated.

Slightly surprised and taken aback by my outburst, he burst into laughter. "I meant your age, _Yasmine_."

"Oh, yes. Sorry. P-Please, forgive me. I didn't mean to yell… I am 13 years old." I stammered now deeply embarrassed.

"It's alright, women who have some spunk are nice once in a while. So do you know where you're going?"

"I was not told anything." I was more surprised by his ability to speak fluent Hindi. "How did you learn to speak our language?" I asked.

"I've been dealing here since I was 15. It's been three years so I've caught up nicely. Just like you will learn how to speak fluent Japanese soon. My boss likes his women Indian."

So he was 18 years old, I thought doing the math. Then it hit me. "What did you mean? Your boss likes Indian women?"

"Haha, whoops, I guess I little too much slip. Don't worry, you'll adjust fine. I don't see how he'll let you go."

"Why does everyone keep saying that?" This was the first time I'd felt comfortable speaking to someone so freely.

"Well, because you are one fine beauty. Only 13 and you already look like a model. A little malnourished, but that can be fixed with time. Our boss is a man of culture. He runs a very high class… hostess bar. You'll be a fine addition to his collection of women."

"What's a hostess bar?" I asked. I'd never heard the term before, it was foreign to me. "I'm going to Japan?!"

Smiling he said, "Don't worry where you're going, a fine lady like you will fit in just fine."

We reached the airport a little while later. I remember being impressed with the massive planes and that soon I would be in the air. I was sad to leave behind my country, but I had nothing left there anyway. If Rei was going to be with me, then I believed that everything would be okay. It wasn't like I was in the position to do anything anyway. The flight was probably the high light of my life. It was a phenomenal view and I felt like I could watch the cotton candy clouds forever. I felt light and the as we approached the ground, Japan looked like a toy city with tiny cars and tiny people. I was worried about the language but if I was to be living there, I was sure to catch on quick.

I was ecstatic by the time I got down. Over the past 24 hours, we'd spent traveling, I'd come to the conclusion that Rei had adopted me and that I was going to live a normal happy life from now on. The truth could not have been further off. He took me to a small bar and realizing we were in some shady area, I asked Rei, "What are we doing here Rei?"

"Sorry honey, but I gatta give you to your owner now."

"Owner?" I asked, my voice becoming more strangled as the time passed.

"Dontcha know? He's the one that bought you. Don't worry he's a handsome man. Most women fall in love with him. Too bad 'cause I actually liked you."

I could feel my heart sink. I knew this was too good to be true. I should never have mistaken his outgoing personality for kindness. And now, I'd reap what I sowed.


	13. Intermission

HEY guys!!! I'm so grateful to everyone who reviewed my story. I can't even begin to thank you! It's really motivating to know that there are people reading my work and that I need to hurry up and update. So thanks again, and please continue to give me feedback. This chapter is a nice break from the heaviness of the previous chapters. So enjoy and review :D!!!

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_Back at Yasmine's home, present day_

Yasmine paused her story and looked up at Ryosuke. Her face was strong, her jaw set and defiant. "It's time for Hikaru to get to school. I should wake him and get him dressed."

"No not now! You haven't finished what you were saying!" Ryosuke was getting impatient. He had been sucked into her world like a moth to a flame. He was surprised how much he cared. He'd been disgusted by the way she'd been treated but this was what he'd wanted to hear the most. How she'd come to Japan. How she'd gotten out. And whose child she bore.

Yasmine was working hard to hold back tears. The next phase of her life was one of her worst. Worse than the massacre she's witnessed, worse than the slavery she'd been through. She wasn't sure if she really wanted Ryosuke to know. The only reason she'd opened up to him was because he'd offered to help her find her son. Somehow, it was liberating. Like she'd have someone who finally understood her. Whether or not he'd understand her after the whole truth was another story.

"Ryosuke-san!" They heard a tiny whisper from the doorway. Turning around, little Hikaru stood with his oversized PJ's and bleach blonde hair shimmering in the rays of sunlight breaking through the blinds.

"Hikaru-kun. You've got such a gentle voice. Thank you for letting me hear it." Ryosuke said.

He trotted sleepily to Yasmine climbed up on her lap and curled up in a ball. "Honey, time to get to school. Come on, a nice hot shower plus some soup in the morning ought to do the trick."

"I just wanna have five more minutes. Please? PLEASE Kaa-san?"

"No pleases, your going to march upstairs right now and get dressed for school. Go on!" She urged. Nuzzling herself in Hikaru's shoulder, she playfully tickled him all the while inching him slowly off of her. "Go go go go. AAArrrrrr. Good boy!" She said in a thick accent. Getting up, he ran upstairs and she heard the bath start to run.

"He calls you Kaa-san?" Ryosuke questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"I know, it's a little too quick with the bonding, but I think he needs the connection right now. I think he misses his mother and it's easier for him to see that in me. He just started calling me that so I've accepted it. You know, I really do love him." She said. Ryosuke couldn't help but see her eyes light up with happiness as she's described Hikaru's feelings towards her. Though made it sound minor, she was overwhelmed by the fact that he'd decided to call her mother. He was only worried that she might be replacing her need for companionship through Hikaru and turning him into the son she'd lost.

Finishing his bath, Yasmine ran upstairs to help Hikaru get dressed, gather his homework, and bag for school. As they walked down the stairs nothing could have prepared her for what she saw.

Ryosuke. Ryosuke in her kitchen. Ryosuke making soup in her kitchen. Ryosuke in her BRIGHT pink apron, making soup, in her kitchen. It was TOO much to keep quiet about. Both Hikaru and Yasmine burst into fits of laughter and doubled over watching he perplexed man make his soup. "I can't believe you found my apron. Hahaha" She said wheezing.

Odd as he looked, Yasmine couldn't help but noticed how great he looked. Just went to show that Ryosuke Takahashi could look good with anything on, regardless of how silly it was. Yasmine pulled on her blue sweater matching the dark blue jeans she'd just changed into. She and Hikaru sat at the table while Ryosuke managed to find the bowls and spoons. They sat together and ate. It almost felt like a family. For a second, Yasmine could feel the situation's familiarity.

After they ate, Hikaru left for school. As soon as he was out of the door, Yasmine heard a loud THUD from the hallway behind her. Swiveling around, she saw Ryosuke collapsed on the floor. "RYOSUKE!" She cried, dropping the honorific.

His eyes fluttered and she reached for a phone to call the ambulance, when she felt a light hand on her arm. "It's fine, I've just been up continuously for over 50 hours now, and I think the adrenaline has worn off." He said with a faint smile. "What's with the face?" He asked seeing her crinkled eyebrows. "Were you, _Yasmine_, actually worried about me?"

"Who'd you think you're kidding?" She said. Though it was obvious _she _wasn't kidding anyone. Her heart had nearly stopped when she'd seen Ryosuke's body on the floor limp for the half a minute it took for him to wake up. "Here, I'll take you to my room. You can lie down there and get some sleep."

"It's fine, I just need a minute. Besides, you haven't finished telling me about how you ended up here and your past. I want to get started looking right away."

"I appreciate that Ryosuke, but you're no good to me sickly."

_So that's how it was, _he thought, a little disappointed. She only wanted to keep him around so he could help her find her son. It was okay though. He thought that staying near her would give him the edge she'd need to eventually fall in love with him. His motive for helping her was also selfish. Unbeknownst to him, Yasmine did care. More than she really wanted to admit.

"Can you walk?"

"Yes. I'll be okay." Mustering his energy, he draped himself over her shoulder and walked with her support. He felt guilty touching her and being so close. Though she only wanted to help him, he could feel his desire to dominate her wrestle in the pits of his stomach. The citrus smell of her hair parted to one side and the perfect view of her neck did not make this any easier. When he finally lay down on her bed, he closed his eyes and though he hadn't meant to, fell asleep.

While he slept, Yasmine wiped his forehead with a damp cloth. She was sure he was just spreading himself too thin. She felt bad she hadn't just waited til the morning to unload on him. Eventually, her own exhaustion set in, and she took fell asleep.

Ryosuke woke 4 hours later, fully refreshed. It didn't take long for him to recuperate, as he was used to the lack of sleep. All he needed was a power nap. Feeling a slight weight on his legs, he looked down to see Yasmine, her copper hair falling to one side and her face buried in the blanket. Slowly, he pried himself from underneath her and being careful not to wake her, lifted her up (surprised by how light she actually was) and laid her on the bed. Admiring her sleeping features, he realized she must also have been tired. He had interrupted her sleep. Getting closer and closer, he felt her lips under his finger. Then quickly, so as not to lose his nerve, he stooped towards her face and locked his lips with hers, his hand on her stomach feeling her taut muscles and warm body. Her lips were soft and full, and he hoped one day those lips would kiss him back. For now, he was content. Getting up slowly, he placed a blanket over her, went downstairs and decided to get some work done before she woke up.

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He didn't have to wait long for her to wake up. Disturbed by the kiss, though unaware of it, she opened her eyes within the hour and stumbled out of her bed. _I can't believe I fell asleep again. That's the third time._ Wondering why her guard was so low with Ryosuke, she got up, rinsed her mouth, and went downstairs to find Ryosuke perched at her table typing away at his laptop.

"You didn't leave?" She asked.

"I didn't want to leave the door unlocked while you were staying." He lied.

"I see… I must've dozed off. Were you busy today? Is there something I can do to make it up?"

"No, no, it's alright, I've made a few calls, I'm off for the day. Apparently the nurses at the hospital think I'm some sort of robot."

Yasmine chuckled and finally understood why she was so defenseless against him. Ryosuke was the kind of man who wouldn't ever harm her. He could've done terrible things to her while she slept, but he hadn't. Even though he'd kissed her without her knowledge, he'd stopped there.

"Can I take you out for lunch?"

"I don't do dates," she replied coolly.

"It's not a date. I'm starved and you're out of groceries."

Yasmine could feel herself going red in the face. And for her olive complexion, that was quite a feat. "Oh! Yeah, right. Okay let me grab my keys." Ryosuke smirked as she left thinking that she had a cute side to her as well.

After a half hour, they were comfortably sitting in a private booth, sipping ice tea and waiting for their meal to arrive. "It's been a long time since I've been outside for a meal. Thank you." She said to him. For the first time genuinely thanking him. She'd forgotten how peaceful a nice restaurant and a good atmosphere felt like. "Okay what is it?" She asked, seeing Ryosuke stare at her.

"Every time I think I have you figured out, you pull something new on me. I don't understand how you've managed to keep yourself together and going. If it were anyone else, they would've broken down by now."

"The desire to find my son fuels my life now. At one point I realized I could do more good if I decided to figure out my life and get out of this depression. So I became a journalist to uncover the other mysteries of life. Half the things I've found, I don't even write about because it would destroy some of the witnesses involved. I've done a lot of good out there now. But somehow, I just can't forget the life I could have had. I feel empty. I love Hikaru. But other than that, I don't feel that way about anyone."

This sent a sharp pain through Ryosuke. "So you've never been involved with anyone romantically?"

"What do you think? For most of my life I was enslaved believing that it was okay to be degraded like an insect. When Rei came, though my life had turned inside out, I still had spirit. And then it turned out that he was only my escort to my real owner. I think I'll never forgive Rei for that as long as I live. But I owe him a debt I can never repay either. Rei charmed me, but, eventually, I came to conclusion that all men need is a booty call every now and then to keep themselves satisfied. Don't deny it isn't true. I can probably go all my life without having sex, but can you say the same? Men need that physical interaction as a reaffirmation of love or lust – whichever they opt to believe in. That is their weakness."

"That's not true, Yasmine. Don't say that. You've just never met any decent men in you life." Ryosuke was now offended. How could she think all men were the same as what she had faced. Of course, she'd gone through a lot and had been hurt by men, but he was here, and Hikaru was here, proving that men could be good as well.

"Oh. Is that right. So if I've never met any decent men in my life – and I've met many men, believe me – than what does it say about all the decent men in this world? I'll tell you. It says they don't exist. And even if they do, they're just the exception."

"I disagree. What's wrong with wanting to hold and touch the person you care about? It's human nature to want to show that affection through physical interaction."

"Well, I must not be human then. I can't stand the thought of being touched. Look Ryosuke, I'm not saying you're a bad person because you're a man. The fact that you're taking time out and doing this for me means a lot. Then there's Rei, who risked everything to save me. I know men have some good in them. But at the same time inside, they are also slaves to their biological impulses. It frightens me how quickly a man can lose his cool, and how difficult it is for him to stop when he feels that way."

With that Ryosuke couldn't argue. He knew this was true, more or less. Some men exercised more self control than others, but in the end it all came down to the same thing. "What did Rei save you from?" He asked, hoping to resume where she'd left off.

She chewed on her carrot for a little more, thinking about how to proceed. "Rei was and always will be an enigma to me. The unattainable. Though how I felt about Arshaad was a safe and school girl type of love, innocent and pure, I think Rei was my first passion."


	14. The Past III Preggers

Hey guys, I'm on a writing spreee today :D. Alright so there's a little bit of explicit content here. So, if you aren't mature enough to handle it, I've included the major points for you here, a clip notes version really. Just scroll down to the bottom to see it. Hope you guys enjoy this!!!

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_Yasmine's Point of View_

This place was a good ten times worse than my old cellar. The man who bought me was known as "Miroku-sama". Rei was right about him. He was incredibly good looking. With his smooth face, black, silky, hair, and sharp eyes, he was single handedly, one of the most beautiful men I'll ever have seen. Most of the time, he wore a black and white robe that only illuminated his face. But unlike Rei, I could not feel the same way about him. It was his eyes. They were icy and cold. There was no mercy in them and later I found out why.

The man's family had been killed. He'd inherited his father's business along with all its shady dealing. One of them was the exploitation of the sex trade industry. He was a 20 year-old billionaire with a primitive thirst to cater to his instincts. And his instincts included women. Lots of them. I'm surprised I didn't contract anything while I was with him.

His passion was forming harems. When I first came to his mansion, I was told I was just a maid. I would be serving him, and feeding him, and that at night, my responsibilities would be to make sure he had enough blankets, and warmth. When I saw the uniform I was supposed to be wearing, I was so embarrassed I thought I could die. It was a small maid uniform with the skirt a little too high and it dipped down to show some cleavage. I wasn't given anything else. My favorite time of the year was during the winter. He was forced to give us warm clothes to wear, which basically meant full coverage.

My first day on the job, I was perfect. Having done a million chores in India, I was good at washing dishes and taking care of the cleaning. The other women were of all nationalities, and I suspected they were just like me. None of us talked to each other since none of us was educated enough to learn the language. I picked up bits and pieces of Japanese throughout my stay and over the years, I became fairly fluent. As he took care of his paper work, we would give him tea and coffee, and I noticed the other girls would shroud themselves over him. They were different than me. They smelled good, and had beautiful complexions with wonderful make up. I too was asked to dress up, but I never had done so before and didn't know how to make myself look like that. Despite how cold he treated us in his harem, I believe some of the women there genuinely had fallen in love with him. Fallen in love with his good looks more like it, for surely no one would care about his twisted personality.

My first night, I heated a bedpan and took out a few blankets. My skirt was so short my panties were visible whenever I bent down. My chest also became fully exposed and there was really no way for me to fix it. I went to his room, put his things on the bed and heard him in the shower. I was getting ready to leave, when the maid outside told me to stay, that I had been chosen for tonight.

I stood at the door and waited for him to come out. He entered the room with nothing but a towel to cover him. "So how is my newest purchase liking it here?" He asked rhetorically.

I didn't answer, I was too scared of what was to come.

"It's okay, you don't need to talk. I'm quite pleased with this. Natural beauty has been lost these days and the other women caked in make up aren't suiting my taste anymore."

I looked down avoiding his gaze. I was trembling under his sight. I felt like something bad was going to happen to me.

"I hear you haven't yet become a woman. Shall I give you some experience?" I flinched as he reached for my hair. His fingers followed my cheek and trailed down to my neck and then my collarbone. Using his other hand he lifted my hair out of the way. "Rumor has it, I can be pretty satisfying. If you keep me interested, your stay here might be very pleasant."

Without speaking to me any further, he pinned me against the wall, and breathing heavily, kissed me deeply. I was surprised more than anything. His kiss lasted forever, and when we parted, I saw him smirk from the corner of his mouth.

"You're just a little slut aren't you? Look at that blushing face of yours."

"N-no. Please." I whispered desperate now. Tears rolling down my face profusely. He grabbed my wrist and threw me onto his bed. I tried to struggle, but I was already weak from before and he easily overpowered me. Like it was second nature to him, he undid my dress and my bra. In the lamplight, I lay naked and embarrassed on his bed, praying that something would intervene and stop this. An earthquake, a natural disaster, ANYTHING. I heard sounds escaping my lips that didn't quite belong to me. I'd heard them before somewhere. They were familiar. And then it clicked. They were the same sounds those women used to make when they came to visit my previous master at night. I felt strange and like I was slowly being ruined. Every touch was like a drop of poison infecting me and I feared I would die. Then he too became naked. Before I knew it, I was being invaded. I screamed for him to stop and panted as he moved inside of me. But I knew all sense of reason and mercy had vanished from him. His face was contorted in what I assumed to be pleasure. My own face was twisted in pain. Breathing hard and fast, this new sensation invoked so many strange feelings.

He went a few more times and finally when he'd had his fill, he lay in his bed gripping me to his chest. Making sure he was asleep, I crept out of the room, and borrowing a robe I saw hanging on the chair, made my way out. I could barely walk. I felt crippled, and sore. As I limped back to my room I saw a flash of red hair with smoke coming out of it. I was so angry I ran up to him and slapped him hard across the face. "HOW could you do this to me?" I demanded. My tears had returned and my robe had fallen off, exposing my tender body. "You told me, I'd fit in just fine, that I would be okay, and then you take me to this place I have no knowledge of. HOW could you do this? Why couldn't you have given me some warning?!" As I cried I banged on his chest and Rei only stood still, accepting my anger towards him. He drew me into his arms and held me as I cried my heart out, rocking me back and forth.

"I'm sorry." I heard him say over and over. "I never meant to put you through his pain. Anyone but you. If only I didn't care about you, it would be so much easier. Please forgive me."

I still haven't found a way to forgive him, but I did figure out how to care for him. He picked up the robe, draped it over my shoulders and lifted me off the ground.

"Was that your first time?"

I nodded.

"You handled it better than most actually. You should get some sleep now. Sleep in as long as you want. The women he sleeps with the night before get the next day off. So you free to do what ever you please until tomorrow."

He laid me on my bed and held my hand. I didn't want anyone near me but somehow, I trusted Rei. Even though it was his fault I was here, he took care of me in the little ways he could. Eventually I dozed off to sleep where the nightmares of my day only replayed themselves in my mind.

That was how I lost my innocence. The next two years, the same schedule continued. Sometimes he would have two or three of us at a time and sometimes, he would "rent" us out to wealthy businessmen who were tired of their wives. These I hated the most. At least _he_ wasn't fat and ugly. I hated pleasing old men who stank of _sake_ and reeked of smoke. But I didn't have a choice but to keep up with it.

Rei taught me the tricks of the trade. If I were interesting enough to Miroku-sama, he'd keep me for himself. This was better than being sent off to God knows whom. So eventually, I found the best way to avoid going elsewhere was to keep myself at home, available, and interesting. This is why all the other girls worked so hard to look good and show displays of affection. Contrary to what I believed they _didn't_ love him. They just didn't want to be sent outdoors.

Rei taught me how to put on make up, do my hair, and groom myself. He taught me how to smell good after every shower and make it so the fragrance stayed. He taught me everything I needed to know and also how to secretly read and write Japanese. This was particularly advantageous because it enabled me to read some of Miroku-sama's private documents. He would leave them out not knowing I could read them and to him, I posed no threat. But I knew that eventually, I would break out of this and take him down. In addition to this, I also read books and learned things I would have learned if I'd ever had the opportunity to go to school. Rei said I was incredibly intelligent and if only I'd had a proper education I could have been more than some sex slave.

It only took me a year to become Miroku-sama's favorite. Though that also meant wearing a semi-transparent satin slip around the house for his pleasure, it meant that I wouldn't be sent out as a moneymaker for old corrupted politicians or businessmen. It became so that for the past six months before my 15th birthday Miroku-sama was the only one I'd been intimate with.

It was after my 15th birthday that things got even more complicated. I found Rei sitting under a tree and smoking a cigarette.

"You're going to get lung cancer, you know. You smoke so much. You should cut down." I sat beside him.

"You're the only woman here who complains. Why would you care anyway princess? Looks like the prince is into only you these days so what're you bothering me for?" He retorted.

"That's not fair! I just wanted to see you." We sat in silence for a long time. I knew how Rei felt about me, and it made me sad that he had to watch Miroku-sama do the things he did with me. It made feel even worse that even if I were to ever break free of this, I could never feel that way about him. And then, calmly, I decided it was about time I told him. "Rei," I started, "My period is three months late. You know what that means right?"

His cigarette dropped from his lips and he turned his face to look at her.

"I've put on weight and started to feel sick in the morning. I'm pregnant." I could hear my voice beginning to crack and resolved to keep myself under control.

"When – how?" He stammered.

"Well I supposed three months ago. And we all know how."

"That's not what I mean. Why do you think I picked you up RIGHT after your period had ended 2 years ago? It wasn't just some coincidence. It was to keep track of your menstrual cycle so that when you were sent to the master there wouldn't be any chance of a pregnancy."

This was news to me. I'd never heard this before, but now that I thought about it, it made sense. There were times I hadn't been sent to the master at all, but then weeks where I'd been sent every night. "I guess they screwed up." I said simply not sure how to feel.

"I wonder why they haven't caught on yet…" He said thoughtfully.

Then I remembered, "There's another girl. We have it at the same time most of the time. They must've kept track of her and thought it was my time as well."

"That would make sense."

"Rei. It'll be okay right? I don't know what to do. I know this child was born out lust and not love, and that it is the evidence of Miroku-sama's existence. When I think about this child growing inside me, I see his violence. But then after a while I realized that it's not this child's fault his father is a sick bastard. This child never asked to be born. So I want to keep the child and teach it good things. I can't kill an innocent life."

"Yasmine, I don't think you understand the situation you're in. The reason why Miroku-sama doesn't want any children is because he sees them as a liability. He will not care for you and your child. In fact, he might just cut you loose."

"That wouldn't be so bad. Anywhere but here. I'll work hard to make it. If he cuts me loose and lets me go, I can start fresh."

"That's not what I mean. He'll kill your child and then to keep your mouth shut, he'll kill you too." This took me a minute to process. And then panic started to engulf me.

"No. Please don't say that!" I cried without thinking. "Please tell me there has to be something I can do PLEASE! He won't have to worry about taking care of the child; I will make it up to him. I'll entertain his guests if I have to. Rei, tell me! What can I do?"

"I don't know Yasmine, this is quite a mess." He turned his back on me and I felt like hope was officially lost. My child and I wouldn't survive. I was only 15 and I'd be killed. "Okay, listen," he said interrupting my thoughts. "I will come up with a solution. Wait in your room. Don't leave until I tell you to." With that he left me standing there perplexed with my own thoughts.

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Chapter Summary:

In this chapter, Rei delivers Yasmine to her new owner. She's a maid by day and his partner by night. The first night there, she is raped. The owner "rents" her out to people and in order to prevent that, she needs to find ways to keep her owner from getting bored. Rei teaches her personally in this matter and basically shows her how to put on make up and fragrance herself, read and write. Soon enough, she's Miroku's (her owner's) exclusive sleeping partner. And then she gets pregnant and finds out that Miroku'll have her killed. So Rei says he'll figure something out and… until next chapter XD!!!!


	15. The Past IV Death In All It's Glory

Alright guys!! Here is the LAST installment of her past. I hope this sort of completes the picture. A little heads up for what next is… we're going back to present day. A LOT of Ryosuke and Yasmine bonding and NOW I will bring in some of the other Initial D characters and start tying them in. Just for the curious folks who were wondering when this story was going to start tying up again. Anyhow, please comment and let me know how you feel. My plots are very flexible, so if you have any suggestions, PLEASE comment, I would LOVE to hear them. Again, thanks to everyone who commented, it makes my day :D.

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Nothing happened for days. I just got sicker and sicker. Every time the master would call me to his room, I would feign some sort of illness, but even I knew this couldn't last. Eventually the tell tale signs of my pregnancy would begin to show and then he'd kill the child along with me. Even now, he was beginning to get impatient with me. I was afraid he'd barge in and take me. And that when he did, it would be dangerous for the child.

Finally, after a week of avoiding Miroku-sama, I had to go. If I didn't there was no telling what he would do. I would go to him, tell him the truth and beg him to let me keep the child. Negotiate with him and plead if I had to.

When I got to his room, the sight I saw made me sick to my stomach. His room smelled of blood and in a bloody heap lay Rei his hand crushed and arm poking out at an odd angle. "REI!!!" I yelled. I ran to his side crouched down touched his shoulder. "Oh, please, God," I whispered a silent prayer.

"Get away from him bitch," he said slapping me across the face. "To think, my most loyal servant and whore were sleeping together. And you have the audacity to ask me to keep the baby?!" He eyes bulged from the rage. He grabbed my hair and threw me onto the bed.

"Y-yo-u. P-ro-mised." Came a sliver of a sound, escaping Rei's lips. "I gave you what you wanted. You have to let her keep our baby." Then I realized what Rei did for me. It all came together, and all of a sudden, I felt so weak. I was so protected and helpless all the time it made me sick.

"Well, that is true. Fine she'll stay with you until she gives birth. You'll get her back in shape, and then you send her right back to me." He glared at Rei's swollen eyes. "You try anything, I'll castrate you. I'm letting you get away with this once because you're my favorite and because this slut is hot in bed. But do it again, and I'll make sure neither of you can ever walk again and the girl gets sent to a brothel."

I ran to Rei, helped him onto my shoulder for support and then began to walk out of the room. Before leaving, I bowed and thanked him, out of shear fear than anything else.

Rei's wounds were bad. He needed a hospital but he vehemently refused one. It made sense, he was Yakuza, it wasn't like he could just waltz into one say "Hi I need treatment". So I took him back to his house, sat him down on the couch and began to treat his wounds. His right hand looked quite dilapidated and it took me a lot to even get used to the sight. I bandaged him as best as I good, gave him some painkiller and for the next few weeks nursed him back to health. He had some of his men go back and gather my belonging discretely. It only took them one trip for I only had a few clothes and some hygiene products that needed to be brought. I think I might've fallen in love with Rei. But at that point I was too scared of men to really acknowledge that love and help it nurture. Even today, I feel like that sometimes. Men are nice when they want to be and when they lose control they really lose control. That is what frightens me the most.

After a few months, I was getting bigger and Rei was getting much healthier. He'd almost completely recovered. He used to take me for check ups, a luxury, I never thought I could afford. Even though I knew whose child this was, I still felt like it was mine and Rei's. Not due to some lasting affection for him, but because he was the one who went through the whole pregnancy with me. The one who comforted me when I was so hormonally unstable. Not to mention, the whole time we lived together, not once did he ever lay a finger on me. He gave me the upper floor and installed a lock for me. I cooked in the dining room, but he always sat at the other end of the table far away so I would not be frightened. Though by this time, I knew Rei would not do anything to me.

"Hey. You haven't seen Japan yet have you?" Asked Rei one day. I was 8 months in and pretty heavy.

"No I haven't I don't want to get lost and besides, you'd be a mess without me." I replied.

"Well, I'm putting an end to your lame 'stay-at-home" preggers streak. We're going out. It's a date so dress nice and warm. I'm taking you out somewhere fancy." He said leaning in a little. For the first time in my whole life, I felt a spark of electricity zip through me. A little butterfly had found it's way into my stomach, and I guess my emotions were plastered over my face because he said:

"Oye, if you keep looking like that, you're going to make me feel embarrassed about asking you. It's just to get out of the house!"

I laughed out loud and the baby kicking didn't even bother me.

"Hey that's the first time I've seen you laugh." He looked me in the eye. Not my chest, or my body, like the other men, but straight in the eye. "You are beautiful when you laugh. The energy around you makes you beautiful."

"Thank you," I said. Then I turned around and left to get dressed. If this had come out of any other man's mouth, I would have felt disgusted about myself. But the way Rei said it was so pure. Like he meant my whole being and persona as opposed to my body. He didn't say it to be sexual, but to be sincere. And I sincerely loved him for that.

I put on a black knee length dress with gold borders, Rei had bought me after noticing my dismal wardrobe, a pair of black leggings, a gold scarf, and a warm black coat. I put on boots and headed downstairs. Waiting for me was Rei in a black suit smiling.

"You're classy for a thug, you know." I taunted.

"Your still beautiful for being preggers," he replied back.

Walking side by side, we got into his car and he drove us to an old theatre. We walked in and there was an orchestra waiting to get started. "You've brought me to a concert?"

"I thought you'd enjoy this. The music is nice, and the drama is like Broadway but a lot more classy."

"Well, it certainly is beautiful. More beautiful than the things in all the books I'd read," I said, sitting back and relaxing. The lights dimmed, and the play began. To this day I'll never forget the beauty of the music and the enchantment of the night. It was incredibly liberating, playing on all my pent up emotions threatening to burst free. This was a real musical. And I loved every minute of it.

We ate and talked. I'd laughed without any inhibitions, and I was happy. I was happy that there was someone like Rei who actually cared about me. When we drove home I finally found the courage to ask him.

"Rei, I need to know something." I started, slowly. "What did you give him? To let me keep my baby, you know?"

He took his sweet time responding. "You probably haven't figured this out yet, but Miroku is my younger brother."

"WHAT!" I said, now feeling a new sense of shock seeping through me.

Taking note of my repulsed expression, he continued, "We're half brothers. Same father, different mother. I'm the older one. But I am also the bastard child. So all father's inheritance went to Miroku. Everything except for a key document. It's access to some of our software in Hong Kong. A massive part actually, and without it, Miroku only owns half the corporation. So I just signed off my part and turned it to him in exchange for your life and your child's."

I looked at him intensely and could find a single thing to say. Words had completely escaped me as I realized the enormity of what he's done. Finally, "Why?" I whispered through tears. "Why would you do that for me? I'm so damaged, and I can't do anything for you. I don't deserve any of this."

He paused for a few moments. "This year. This year, is the only thing I've ever wanted. To live with you and see you smile. From the day I met your suppressed spirit. I only wanted to see it soar. And that laugh of yours is like the sweetest music. But this place doesn't let you share it. Because somewhere inside, I think I fell in love with you."

"But you company…"

"That's not important. I've given him the main Hong Kong branch, which means that I'll properly be his thug. Even though it sounds humiliating, I can do a lot of good from within his ranks. I just have to make sure not to get caught sabotaging him."

Brimming with fresh tears, I moved closer to Rei, and he caught me in his sturdy grip. We hugged and then slowly our faces moved towards each other's. Our eyes closed and we could feel each other's breath on our face. My shoulders were wrapped in his arms and my hands rested on his chest. Slowly our lips brushed and again, for the first time, I felt a little shock of electricity running through my body. Then I felt my mouth open to let him deepen our kiss, and my body rock backwards.

Then in my mind, like a flash, I saw Miroku, standing in his position over me. Suddenly, I was so afraid beyond comprehension and with a mighty shove, I pushed Rei off of me. Immediately, I regretted it because nothing could match the pain and hurt on his face.

"I'm so sorry, I lost control." He mumbled quickly before getting up. He walked to his room and shut the door. I didn't see him again for another week. He must have left while I slept and come back in late at night. For a while, I thought he hated me. And let's face it, why shouldn't he? Here was a man who gave up everything so I could live and care for my baby, a baby who's father is the man who he had to give his company to. And I'd rejected him.

Then in a few weeks, although Rei and I still were awkward around each other, I was making him some breakfast. Then as I was walking to the table to give Rei the orange juice, my stomach started to hurt. As I walked, the more uncomfortable it got. That's when I realized… "Rei…" I wheezed. "Rei.. ah….. I …. Uhhnn… I think I'm going into labor."

"WOAH. Okay. Okay. Car. No keys, no jacket." The pain was blurring my sight, but for some reason, this seemed kind of comical to me.

By the time we reached the hospital my forehead was matted in sweat and my hair soaked. My body was hot and my child was going to be coming out any second. Rei waited outside while the nurses helped me. After a total of 5 hours of pushing and screaming I managed to pop him out. Congratulations to me, I had just brought forth a beautiful little boy. They cleaned him and myself, and then after all that, I was finally able to hold him. He had gray eyes, like mine, and I could see some copper on his head mixed with black. He was fair, unlike me, and I knew at once, he was going to be the most beautiful boy in the world. Over whelmed by emotion, I held him close and cried. I cried so much my heart hurt. I knew I had to get out of this place, to make a life for my son and I. That there was no way I could continue to be Miroku's whore anymore.

I was in hospital for observation for a little while and then they sent me home with the child. As we approached I saw a black car lining Rei's driveway and I knew the battle was only just beginning. Now, here is where my memory begins to fade. I remember entering the house, and Rei holding my son, whom I'd named Akira. Miroku stepped out of the car and demanded to see his product. I naturally refused, now taking him from Rei.

"This ends our contract Rei." Said Miroku. "To think you'd actually fix up a contract signing your life away for a woman, who if I remember correct, rejected you." He pulled out a gun pointed it at Rei's chest. Everything from there seemed to go in slow motion. Rei didn't even try to avoid the bullet. He stood in front of me to make sure I wouldn't get hurt. The sound echoed in the empty streets as he crumpled to the floor.

"NOOOOOOO!!!" I yelled, my baby still clutched to my chest. "Why! WHY!?" I demanded savagely. My child was too frightened to cry. He just looked at his mother and his uncle, not knowing what the blood was, only sensing the fright. "I thought you HAD the company! That he signed it off for you! So why did you kill him?" I sobbed.

"Is that what he told you? HAH! My older brother, more foolish than I'd ever thought. All for a woman. Believe me you're not worth that much. I didn't particularly want you, just needed to keep you alive so the bastard would sign off his company to me. Unfortunately when our dear father passed, he made it so the company MUST be shared by ALL his living relatives. This is why I don't want a son, nor need one. Now do you understand? No brother means no sharing, no son means no sharing. I've killed all my relatives off one by one, and I will not produce another."

Before I could even properly comprehend what he said to me, he pointed the gun right at my baby. But I wasn't going to let him hurt the child. So I turned my back and felt the shots tear through my own flesh. Covering my child I used all my strength to find Rei's gun. Taking it from his belt, I aimed carefully at Miroku's head and without thinking too much took three consecutive shots. The first missed, the second hit his shoulder, and the third hit his neck. I had killed. Like my life wasn't wretched enough. Even if Miroku was a monster, I, with my own hands, pulled the trigger and ended his life. All the other men scattered. Miroku's right hand man wrestled my son out of my grip.

"His blood lives here! Let him go bitch, you're not worthy enough to raise him. Your son will carry Miroku's legacy." The other bodyguard got Mikoru in the car and the right hand man drove away leaving us there for dead. I could not hold up any longer and soon I felt my heart fading and saw myself slipping.


End file.
